


The Devil You Know

by ChaoticJen, Unseelie_Sidhe



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Bella acts her age!, Bella is OBLIVIOUS, Charlie is awesome, F/M, Jacob is a jealous brat, One-sided UST, Paul is a mysterious asshole, Quil has a foul mouth, Sam is overworked!, Sociopaths are Fun, Too many Oc's to name, and sexy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-01
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-01-14 03:57:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 34
Words: 304,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1251862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticJen/pseuds/ChaoticJen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unseelie_Sidhe/pseuds/Unseelie_Sidhe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say the Devil you know is better than the Devil you don't, but knowing a Devil just means there is that much more temptation</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Burn It To The Ground - Nickelback

a.n. – I do not own Twilight

    - I make no money from this

    - I am NOT Stephanie Meyer (nor do I want to be)

>}:{<

“You were warned this might happen,” the big man stated quietly as he drove through the intersection, his face was carefully blank as he kept his eyes on the road before him. “You were told not to push it too far.”

His pint-sized passenger groaned in response, eyes narrowing against the glare of the late-morning sunlight blazing through the windshield. Her face glowed softly under a faint sheen of perspiration as she fished in her pocket for a hairband, pulling her hair up off her neck into a high ponytail before turning towards her companion. “I was running late!” she finally exclaimed, “I had too much homework last night and overslept!”

Dark eyes cut towards her, a fractionally darker brow lifting in a pointed gesture before returning towards the road again.

“How was I to know it would die? It’s not like I did it on purpose!” The girl huffed at the man behind the wheel, her tone almost defensive as she crossed her arms.

“Bella, it’s been hot enough that _you_ actually have a tan. The poor thing overheated and died.” His jaw tightened for a few moments, his lean cheek ticking and seeming to betray the agitation of the man as if he were in mourning over her senseless murder.

Bella’s face almost crumpled in guilt. She hadn’t _meant_ to kill it. She’d begun to think it was indestructible…her loyal partner who had finally given up on her in the face of overwhelming odds. She’d pushed it too far and it had responded with a groans of protest before dying spectacularly by the side of the road. She’d tried to revive it, but it had resisted her efforts. It didn’t help things that she was almost clueless as to how one went about resuscitation and had finally resorted to calling a friend to drive out and help her plan for its possible last rights.

Now, she was running late to school and had already missed the first two periods. The student office had been mostly understanding, given that she was not in the habit of being late, and allowed her off with only a warning. Luckily, her driver had a fondness for speed that was backed up by the engine in the big black F350 that she was now riding shotgun. Her dark eyes narrowed further with his continued silence, though part of her was inwardly cringing at the thought that he may actually be mad at her. He’d been unable to revive her poor slain truck despite the fact that he was he seemed to know exactly what was wrong. The billowing smoke had been a very bad sign in her view, and it had taken him a while to get close enough to be able to pop the hood for a closer look. He’d simply shaken his head in resignation, before steering her towards his waiting truck. She’d been silent until his dire pronouncement of her culpability. He _had_ warned her, but she had let the warning fade into the background in her desperation. Her death-glare was simply a cover up to hide her sense of impending doom.

He managed to keep his face straight for all of twelve more seconds before a smile big and white enough to shame a Colgate commercial crossed his darkly tanned face just as a small finger poked him sharply in the ribs.

“Don’t you laugh at me, Sam Uley!” Bella growled at the werewolf who promptly roared with laughter.

Her lower lip jutted out and Sam wrapped a heavy arm around her, yanking her against his side and holding her there until she simply couldn’t help but join in, her lips tipping up until her smile matched his. _And in his book, that made all of this worth it._

seven months ago when he’d found Bella abandoned in the woods in the pouring rain, he’d felt little other than pure panic. There he was, barely a fully grown man and supposedly some all-powerful protector of both his people and hers, and here he was completely and painfully helpless in the face of a broken little girl who felt like a hollow shell of a human in his arms. Her brown eyes had looked almost black with their emptiness in her pale, chilled face, her lips an almost frightening shade of blue. Her tiny-body had hung limply in his arms as he lifted her from the soggy ground, totally unresponsive to either his words or actions as he attempted to comfort her while he ran with her pulled tightly to his overheated body as if he could force all that extra heat into her. He also well-remembered the look in Jacob Black’s eyes... The blank look of utter terror that had pinched his still immature face, quickly transforming to a strange mix of relieved stress as he saw his best friend lying in the arms of a man who he both feared and loathed as he’d quickly approached Police Chief Swan with his nearly comatose daughter.

He remembered the strange sense of incompleteness he’d suffered for the next two weeks, Emily’s attempts at comforting him falling flat even as he was driven to help the next two Wolves with their sudden new place in their people’s hierarchy. One had been the epitome of Zen-like cool who had coasted through the change with an amazing lack of discombobulation, while the other was a full-on powerhouse driven by pure unadulterated rage. Keeping him in any kind of check had taken all of his energy and mental acuity because he seemed to actually be more at ease while in the thick of a brawl. But for all of his distractions, he couldn’t get rid of the nagging sense that he’d left something undone.

Having grown up without a true father figure in the home, he’d picked the upright side of the spectrum and pushed himself towards success. His father had been a drunken bully who liked to pound on his mother on the nights he’d been drinking, which sadly had been more often than naught. Growing up in that type of home environment had left him with a deep seated belief in the protection and respect for the female species as him mother had refused to shatter no matter the provocation. She was the strongest woman he’d even met and she’d finally broken the chains of her husband’s abusive hold over her and had forced him from her home at shotgun-point. When faced with her unflinching confidence in herself and the new lack of fear, he’d finally disappeared and never showed his face in La Push again. Sam had taken the man’s example as how _not_ to live.

He’d thought his life was fully planned and on course, only to have it all fall apart when he’d lived up to genetics and found himself suddenly with four paws, a tail, and a stature that rivaled a horse. The dangerously high fever and strange heightening of his senses, not to mention his sudden and extreme late growth spurt had ended in a conclusion that should have only been possible in a child’s story book. The Brothers Grimm might have done it justice. He had spent a month hiding in the woods in wolf form because he’d not known how to turn back. He’d cringed every time his mother had stood in their back yard and begged him to return but he’d been afraid to show her his strange transformation for fear of terrifying her. Even worse had been when _Leah_ had appeared two weeks later and stood holding his despairing mother, _both_ calling his name into the darkness.

Then, it _had_ really ended. After all the time spent as a wolf, searching the way to return to human form, it all came crashing down just days after his homecoming when his fiancée’s cousin had come along to help Sam and Leah attempt to get their life back on track after he managed to miss the finals of his first year at the community college. He’d imprinted on the girl, and Leah had been instantly driven from his heart. Oh, he still cared for her, even loved her in some way, but it paled to the way even hearing Emily’s voice made his whole body burn with need and ache for her. He hadn’t known he’d been capable of that kind of want, though that might have also been due to the fact that he’d always held himself in check even if it had all been subconscious.

But the look on Leah’s face when she realized that she’d lost him had just about broken his heart.

Because, no matter the fact that he was bred to be a physical protector of humanity, Sam was a protector to the very core of himself. It wasn’t in him to turn his back on those who needed him. But as sad and shamed as he felt about the outcome, he had known that it would be better for Leah if he simply let her go on thinking he was a lying cheating bastard than if he tried to explain everything to her and hope she would understand what with the limited facts he would have been able to provide after the gag order handed down from the tribal elders. It was also the last time he bowed to the wishes of the council when they had demanded he keep the secret of the Pack’s existence from those he cared for.

So when he’d managed to overhear one of the elder’s conversing with another about Bella Swan’s complete and utter emotional devastation as reported to them from Billy Black and son, he was suddenly seized upon with the reason for his agitation. He was needed, and he wasn’t about to fail the girl.

He had spent almost three hours debating with himself while sitting in the cab of his truck in the Swan’s driveway after the sun had finally sunk beneath the horizon, debating reasons and explanations, before finally forcing himself to walk up to the front door and knock. But he was totally unprepared for the frightened and shame-filled man who seemed to have supplanted the usually unflappable Charlie Swan. His face had been pale with exhaustion, black rings under his eyes that would have looked right at home on a raccoon. And even from where he’d stood he could hear the girl thrashing in her bed, the oddly weak stumbling of her heart. A low, desolate cry had broken from her that caused the older man’s face to crumble in pain as he waited for it to crescendo into banshee-like wailing.

He didn’t stop to ask for permission before bolting up the stairs four at a time and ducking through the low doorway into the dark bedroom, caring little for the fact that his pace had been so clearly inhuman. He could hear Charlie stumbling up the steep stairwell after him but didn’t wait for him to catch up before yanking back the heavy blankets and scooping the struggling, far-too-thin body from the bed and up into his arms. He knew that she felt lighter than she should due to his werewolf strength but he could tell that she had been starving herself and the wolf in him rumbled in disapproval and unease. He’d carried her, still thrashing in the grip of her nightmares, towards her bathroom and stepped into the shower with her, clothing and all. Her father had stood in the doorway watching, his mouth open to protest his actions but the words never emerged. Bella had spluttered into wakefulness under the cold pelting water of the shower, her eyes huge and terrified and still far too dark in her pinched and sallow face.

Her eyes had met his and he’d felt a strange, stomach dropping jolt that suddenly anchored him to the girl by his soul.

There had only been one time he had ever felt anything remotely like it, and it had destroyed everything. And he’d almost panicked again, until he realized that there was nothing romantic about this new bond. It had felt as if fate had suddenly handed him a little sister to protect, one that had been ripped from him and only now just returned to him. He was seeing her as if through new eyes, ones that didn’t see simply the physical but also the mental and spiritual being of Bella Swan; exactly as he could with Emily. And while her father remained silent and wondering at his daughter’s strange acceptance of this stranger’s actions, Sam took those few quiet moments before the oncoming storm and pulled sharply at their new connection to make certain she was anchored every bit as tightly to him as he now was to her. Her sudden gasp in response caused a small, secret smile of victory to steal over his face for a moment before he hid it behind quiet determination.

And dear god had there ever been a hurricane.

The council had had no idea what to make of his connection to the non-native girl and so had attempted to force him into rejecting it. He’d refused. In his opinion, if those most affected by it were good with it, then objections voiced from outside were meaningless. Emily, who had not even blinked an eye at his new acquisition, had merely smiled and taken the nearly catatonic girl into her care with grace and aplomb. Charlie had simply shaken his head and murmured something about accepting the unexplainable, showing that he was far from ignorant about the strange and supernatural goings on in his small berg even if lacking actual knowledge, then left Sam and Bella to work things through together.

He’d smelled leech all over her that long ago night, so deeply imbedded into her skin it practically permeated the damp air through her pores. The scent of bleach and sugar had been nauseating, but he’d managed to repress the urge to be sick or even worse, phase out of sheer disgust. He had been thankful for the fact that time had erased all but the faintest traces of it, but it had let him know that she would not panic or run if she were ever to discover what he truly was because for the scent to have been that strong, she must have been in almost constant contact with the Cullens. She never said much that night, but she didn’t fight him as he held her, slowly warming her up as he turned on the hot water and stood there under it with her. Nor did she argue when he told her that he simply wasn’t going to allow her to destroy herself. It might have been the shock of waking up in the arms of a strange man after having removed herself so completely from all human contact, or it might have something to do with the almost imprint-like bond she now shared with said stranger, but she didn’t stop him as he threw some of her things into a bag and sent her to change into dry pajamas.

That night, Jacob Black was given almost full custody of his best friend and longtime crush. Sam knew the young man was honorable, and even more important, he would never do anything to hurt Bella. Billy had, for the first time in his life, turned his back on the wishes of the other elders and allowed Bella to stay in his home while he gave detailed daily reports to Charlie as Jacob gradually put the girl back together with love and endless patience. She slowly began to learn how to smile again without cringing, though it was a while before she stopped trying to hold herself together by wrapping her arms around her body.

Embry, when he had finally phased, had been the one to put an end to that. He’d always been fond of Bella, and the very first time he had been allowed near her after he’d gotten control of himself, he’d pulled her arms down and away and simply wrapped himself around her instead, a habit he continued for months. Until one day, she discovered that the gaping hole she imagined to reside in her chest was really just all in her imagination and something she dismissed. It took her a while to accept his no-strings-attached affection, but it had felt wonderful to have someone simply hold her with no expectations. Oh, she loved Jacob, but in the way a girl loves her brother. Jacob wanted more, and while he hadn’t been pushing... _yet_ , Sam could see the signs of it.

Then had come the part he dreaded, as Jacob had started to display the first symptoms of his impending change.  

Bella began to live again, going back to school and renewing her friendships with the people she had pushed away. Jacob neither liked nor approved of her attachment with Sam or to Embry when his longtime friend suddenly had abruptly cut ties with him as per orders of the council themselves before Sam could do anything to stop them or the rare times she ever saw Jared, though they all managed to remain outwardly friendly when they spoke. He was fairly certain she’d only ever seen the huge, pissed-off wolf from a distance. He learned to bite his tongue when he saw how her face would light up whenever Sam appeared because Bella never allowed anyone to bad-mouth her friends, not even another friend. So he went with her when she asked it of him, letting her use him as a shield against the advances of other young men, especially one Mike Newton who wouldn’t have gotten the hint even if it had bitten a chunk out of his ass.

Jacob very nearly _had_ , one night after they had gone to the movies. He’d begun to shoot upward in height, while displaying the unusually aggressive behavior typical of a pre-phase werewolf. He’d chased away the foolish but thankfully not suicidal Newton with bizarre and unprovoked hostility, before Bella had insisted on driving him home after becoming concerned over his amazingly high ‘fever’. She seemed to attribute his behavior to a sudden strange illness and shrugged it off.

Sam, however, knew better. He’d known that it was the territorial act of a pissed off alpha werewolf. Newton was simply the last impetus that pushed Jacob over the edge and he’d phased that night for the very first time. But unlike the last time when he himself had returned from his first phasing, when the elders demanded that Jacob not only stop keeping company with Bella, but to have him give the Alpha Command and keep Jacob muzzled over his werewolf status, Sam had refused, arguing that it was not in Bella’s best interest. They had once again demanded to know the nature of his own connection to the girl, refusing to believe that it was something as inevitable and permanent as his bonding to his mate because they had never heard of such a thing in the legends. He had replied that he was her brother, no more or less, and that he would not remove Jacob from her just when she needed him the most. Their hypocrisy knew no bounds as they informed him that Jacob did not need _her_ at this time to distract him from his duties as a protector. He had finally snarled and asked just in who the hell was the boy _supposed_ to protect if he were not allowed to protect the ones he loved, gave them the verbal ‘finger’, then stalked out to the tune of their splutterings of outrage.  

After Jacob joined the ranks of the supernatural, he had spent the almost required week that it took to get himself under control in the woods with most of the others, but he had called Bella every single night. He had told her that he had a kinda big thing to tell her, but wanted to tell her in person and not over the phone. During that time, Sam had impressed upon the newest wolf that while his friend had spent time around vampires, she had not done so to hurt anyone. And that under no circumstances could he be angry with her for not telling _him_ about them, because how could he ever expect her to keep his own secrets if she freely blabbed someone else’s for the simple reason that they were good friends. It had been a bit of a hard pill to swallow, but in the end, he had understood.

Since then, Bella had managed to spend more time with Charlie, especially after Sam further broke the rules by finally informing him about werewolves, vampires, and his daughter’s strange ability to draw both of them to her. He’d understood that when Jacob would climb through her window to sleep in her bed, that it wasn’t about a horny teen getting one by him, and Bella had compromised by leaving her door wide open to show that she wasn’t hiding anything unseemly. No one found the need to tell him that Jacob loved her in a non-platonic way, or that he had finally forced himself past the boundaries of brotherhood and into the uncomfortable zone of awareness even if she was not ready to reciprocate. Some nights she spent in Billy’s home with her Jacob-shaped teddy bear, then still others she spent curled up on the sofa around Embry while he quietly watched TV and gently threaded his fingers through her hair to help her sleep, simply content to keep her company while Jacob was out on patrol.

Sometimes, Sam half wondered if the quiet male hadn’t of somehow bonded himself to Bella in the same way he himself had.

She learned to enjoy the outdoors on hikes and picnics in the woods that sometimes could only be reached by riding wolf-back. She swam with them at First Beach, then later at Second Beach when the Pack took her with them. It had been an unseasonably warm year, and Bella, finally properly fed and cared for by a woman that was able to see beyond her own flaky needs, was finding herself more healthy and energetic then she could remember. She’d even gained a golden glow to her seemingly permanently pale skin when she’d taken to wearing tank tops and cropped cargos to combat the overheating inflicted by the contrary sun and her high-temperature companions. Not to mention all the time spent in a bathing suit wrestling with horse-sized werewolves in the water and learning to cliff-dive while wrapped securely around Sam, Embry, Jacob, or one of the cheerfully accommodating twins because even she knew that letting her solo-dive was trouble just waiting to happen. Her hair had lightened with strands of dark gold and red, the faintest of freckles dusting themselves over her cheeks.

And during that time the Pack had expanded to never-heard-of proportions.

Quil was soon to tag along in his friend’s footsteps and enjoyed the easiest transition from young man to young werewolf Sam had seen yet. Seth and Leah had rapidly followed suit. Watching his _daughter_ phase in the living room after a drunken fit while raging over her loss, had thrown Harry Clearwater into a heart attack that the man had been lucky to recover from. Then there had been Pierce and Macey, the aforementioned pair of identical twins who had come from home from a long stay at the Makah reservation and had almost instantly begun the change as they stopped to visit with an uncle on their way home in La Push. Collin and Brady were soon to follow and at thirteen years old were the youngest wolves ever to phase. The last had been a young man named Shay who had turned just last night.

He had no idea why there was such a large pack this generation, but it made him wary of the possible reason behind it.

Bella poked him in the ribs again when she noticed the distant look in his eyes and he turned to give her one final grin before turning onto the drive of Forks High. She hurriedly pressed a smacking kiss against his cheek before scrambling over the seat towards the door.

“I’ll be by to pick you up after school,” he called after her and she waved over a swiftly retreating shoulder in acknowledgement as she raced towards the dreary building. He wondered, as he drove away, if it was ridiculous of him to be proud of her for only managing to stumble once.

>:}{:<

The hours seemed to drag out forever for Bella as she sat listening to the never ending droning-on of the history teacher. She repressed a yawn and forced herself to keep her feet from tapping impatiently against the floor. Her phone buzzed in her left thigh pocket, startling her for a moment before she reached down and checked her inbox for the text message that had almost had her slapping at her thigh for what had almost felt like an unwanted groping.

**_-Not going to be able to pick you_ **

**_up, sorry. Will send someone_ **

**_to get you after school and hope to_ **

**_see you sometime tomorrow…Sam-_ **

Bella stifled a groan before quickly keying in a response to let him know she’d gotten his message, before going back to concentrating on _not_ having her brain melt out her ears from sheer boredom. She only just managed to keep from jumping up and cheering when the last bell rang and she escaped out the door to enjoy her Friday afternoon.

She made record time in hurrying to her locker and liberating her bag, before scurrying down the halls towards the front door so she would be easily found by whoever would be sent to take her home for the night. Charlie had gotten an extra day off and he was already in La Push with Billy on an extended fishing trip. She grinned to herself, knowing that those trips of theirs had truly very little to do with fishing and more to do with getting pleasantly buzzed and doing the guy-version of gossiping like ten year old girls. A small part of her brain kept a kept an ear trained for the sound of any familiar voices so that she didn’t accidentally get fully lost in her book while some poor werewolf was left to sniff her out from amongst a crowd of hundreds.

The sound of a well-tuned monster of a motorbike distracted her for a moment, and she lifted gaze just in time to catch sight of the almost predatory presence of the man on the huge black beast. It seemed to purr all too eagerly between long wickedly muscled thighs that flexed deliciously under well-worn jeans that looked soft enough to make her palms itch with the sudden desire to stroke up and over. She blinked; following the line of his body upward over tight hips that looked disturbingly bare of anything like underclothes as he slowly crept forward along the curb, seemingly looking for someone amongst the swarming throng of bodies. He drew eyes like a train-wreck, though something about him just as swiftly caused them to turn away as if unconsciously aware of how dangerous he just might be, the big bad wolf who had long ago tossed his sheep’s clothing by the wayside. Bella had to force her own eyes away when she realized that the smooth grey-blue knit of his shirt was snug enough to display abs so tight and hard they could only have been intended for the pleasure of lips, tongue and teeth.

She swallowed uneasily, not used to the strongly visceral reaction to a stranger’s body as she struggled not to squirm and somehow draw his attention to her, the response of all good little prey. Her eyes scanned over the parking lot, now more motivated in her search and wishing that she saw anyone at all from the pack, even Leah. Though to be fair, Leah wasn’t nearly as bitchy as she tried to pretend she was.

In fact, she was so intent upon seeing a familiar face that she missed it when the big biker slowed to a stop in front of her. Reluctantly, she returned her gaze to him; her eyes skimming over impossibly broad shoulders and sleek hair so deeply black, it shown with blue lowlights against his dark amber-golden complexion. Those shoulders were sloped with thick muscle, well matching the arms that rippled with power under his beautiful skin. The corner of his viciously sexy mouth kicked up with seeming amusement, wide and masculinely decadent as he returned her gaze from behind the silver-framed shades that completely obscured his eyes, a small dimple winking at her from his lean cheek as he enjoyed the helpless ogling that was just short of her very first involuntary eye-fuck. A sharply peaked brow lifted in question as he tilted his head as if to get a better view of her in return and though she’d never considered herself to be at all religious, she had the sudden and devout belief that the Devil had been having one hell of a fun day when he’d made this male.

_Oh God and she’d thought Jacob was beautiful…_

“There you are.” His voice, a low husky rumble that reminded her of a well-satiated animal, sent a ripple of shivering awareness down her spine as her eyes widened momentarily in shock.

“Sam sent you?” He didn’t look like anyone she had ever met and certainly not a Quileute werewolf. And she was unnerved further when she stepped closer and caught the faintest trace of alcohol beneath the scent of something deliciously spicy and utterly male, realizing that he had been drinking. The hard jerk of his entire body as he shifted the bike made her rethink his ability to safely drive her anywhere, much less himself.

“Mmhmm.” He sounded less like he was agreeing with her and more like he’d just tasted something warm and sweet that he’d very much enjoyed.

“I’m going to need a ride …” Her voice was hesitant as she slowly shoved her book back into her bag.

“I’d be happy to give you one.” She was three seconds from smiling at him in response to his seeming enthusiasm when the subtle suggestiveness in his tone caught her attention and drove her to turn an embarrassing shade of pink. His face betrayed nothing but curiosity over her sudden blush, however, and she decided that she must have been mistaken. Her hormones were obviously trying to make her think he was as aware of her as she was him. Maybe, her reason offered, when you had a voice that sounded like long nights of rough sex, you really couldn’t help sounding suggestive. Besides, she was all too aware of the fact that he was far more male than she had been equipped to handle, not even with both hands and a shock-collar. Though, putting a leash on him might be kind of-

Bella flushed even harder and pinched herself sharply in reprimand. God, she didn’t even know his _name_ and she was lusting over him!

“Are you…well, er.” She‘d pretty much babbled herself into a corner before she managed to spit out the needed question. “Are you actually sober enough to get us both safely home?”

His dimpled smile, though seemingly innocent, somehow made her uneasy. “You want to drive?”

“I’m not…” She bit her lip as she cut off her rambling, considering his offer while wondering if she should just call Sam. Because something inside her was warning her that if she accepted his invitation, she was letting herself in for a great deal more than the face value of what he was offering as he scooted back a bit to make room for her, mutely inviting her to take over.

“Well, crap,” she finally muttered to herself in resignation. Because she couldn’t very well let him continue to drive drunk like she was almost certain he was. Nor did she feel like riding along and praying that his inhuman reflexes would keep them from crashing despite his intoxication, because it would take away from her ability to keep from peeing her pants if he happened to take any crazy chances like they all seemed fond of. And yeah, he made her uncomfortable, but she was a grown-ass woman damnit! She could handle it.

She braced her hand against his outstretched leg as she reached around to secure her bag to the back of the bike and tried desperately to ignore the slow and almost teasing flexing of his thigh under her fingers as he allowed her to use her grip on him to balance herself while carefully pulling a leg over the wide tank of the bike. She shifted a bit to get a feel for the weight of the machine and almost stumbled right back off when the male slowly pushed forward behind her until her bottom rested snugly against his hips. She was reasonably sure his intent was probablyjust to redistribute their weight properly, so she blocked out the way the feel of his body against hers made her want to push herself back against him harder while tightening her mental grip on the fact that she was already slightly nervous over the fact that she was pretty sure the gleaming beast of a motorcycle was actually heavier than _she_ was. “Right, then. You might want to hold on, though, um-?”

She felt his chest vibrate against her body with quiet laughter as his arms obligingly came up and wrapped around her stomach, his right hand absently curving down over her hip as he pressed himself up against her back.

“I’m Paul.”

For a moment, Bella’s mental processes ground themselves to a complete halt as everything she’d ever heard about this wolf ran through her head. Bastard was the top of the list highlighted with a bright and shiny gold star. Antagonistic, hostile, brutal and malevolent were some of the kinder things she could remember being said. Jacob often said that he had the morals of a pit-viper and hated everyone nearly on sight. He thrived on his rage and was far more prone to break your arm than shake your hand. He had no use for the female species, because he didn’t have enough patience for pretending to like them long enough to get into their pants. Sam was always slightly uneasy around him, though Paul had never really disobeyed an order and when pressed for answers, he’d been strangely ambivalent. Though on one thing he’d been certain: there was something not quite right with Paul, either in human or wolf form. He’d kept Bella at a distance from the volatile wolf, not trusting him to not undo all the damage-control he’d worked on his sister-imprint. Now, Bella had to wonder if his currently teasing and almost laid-back demeanor was a result of his intoxication, and found herself almost thankful that he _was_ drunk if that were the case, even if it left him a little more physically friendly than she was comfortable with.   

Sneaking a peek up at him over her shoulder, she was a little stunned to realize that he was actually even prettier than she’d realized with his high cheekbones and the clean hard line of his jaw and a part of her sort of wished that he’d take the silver shades off so she could see his eyes. One good mental head-smack later and she had herself back under control enough to gun the engine.

Suddenly, the strange lack of chatter in the parking lot registered in her distracted mind. Looking up, she saw the small group of people that had gathered to watch her and the stranger and cringed, all too aware of the rumors that would fly on Monday. It only got worse when she caught sight of Mike, Jessica, Lauren, Tyler and Eric all standing towards the front, already whispering back and forth to each other. It may have only been a couple of brief minutes since Paul had pulled up the drive of the school, but it was long enough to cause the required damage to her peace of mind. And there was no mistaking the sour look on Mike’s face when he saw the huge male who must have looked like he was just short of outright cuddling her.

It was at that particular moment in time that Bella fully appreciated the fact that this particular werewolf was less than socially polite. Mike’s jealousy must have seemed pretty damned amusing to him. That or maybe he just couldn’t help himself when presented with the opportunity to torture him further because she went utterly and helplessly still as she suddenly felt him slowly nuzzle a stray lock of hair away from where it had worked itself loose, as if he were simply removing a vague annoyance from where it brushed against his skin, and almost casually breathe a line of chilly-hot air up the line of her neck to urge the strands down along the nape of her vulnerable throat.

Bella jumped as what felt like the shock of a cattle-prod jolted down her spine from the point of contact with her neck. It set all of her nerve endings dancing wildly under her skin and she half wondered if it were possible for one’s vagina to have a seizure, the sensation was so acute. She just barely stopped herself from squeaking in surprise and was excruciatingly aware that her blush was once more painfully apparent.

_Oh god, she really had to get some distance from him before he did something to irreparably damage her ability to function normally._

Mike’s face looked positively green with jealousy, his lips tightly compressed and his fists unconsciously clenched at his sides. Bella felt Paul’s arms curl around her just a fraction tighter as if to goad the younger male further. The low rumble of mocking laughter simply confirmed his intent, though she somehow missed it when Mike all but recoiled at the sight of the malicious grin turned on him just before Paul stretched his foot back and kicked them off the curb, forcing Bella to either steer the beast or crash.

It proved to be a highly efficient distraction, even after he pulled his legs up and stretched them down along the outer line of Bella’s own, and she quickly forgot all about the possibly disastrous gossip that would run rampant through the drama-queen population of Forks High, because all she could do was worry about keeping herself and her passenger alive long enough to get them home.

_And she’d thought Mondays were rough…_


	2. A Pain That I'm Used To - Depeche Mode

Bella blinked sleep-blurred eyes as the setting sun filtered through her curtains from where she lay on her stomach. She always hated waking up after a long afternoon nap, because she always felt muzzy and her mental processes slowed to unacceptable speeds. Her head felt like it was full of cotton fluff and all she really wanted to do was change position to relieve the stiffness in her body and go back to sleep but that last part would take far more energy than she currently had. Her bed seemed to sense her desire, taking the opportunity to shift under her in accommodation of her wishes and she let her eyes slide shut once more in contentment, pressing her cheek deeper into her warm, strangely hard pillow.

She furrowed her brows slightly when she realized that something was a bit off but she wasn’t awake enough to put her finger on exactly what it was. Though, she did manage to muster just enough bodily control for a good, even if incredibly lazy, stretch before pulling her right leg up and hooking her knee over the edge of the mattress and absently enjoying the softness of the fabric against her skin. The warmth radiating from beneath the surface was incredibly soothing, reminding her of how it felt to curl up to one of her werewolf friends. Well, almost like it, and she wondered if she’d somehow managed to fall asleep atop her electric blanket, because this was just a bit warmer than they were. A good thing to have when one tended to be more susceptible to lower temperatures while sleeping. She reached up to push away the same traitor lock of hair that had betrayed her earlier with that giant panty-creamer of a werewolf, and realized that she was sweating faintly. But not enough to drive her to do more than absentmindedly swat her hand around for the temperature control box before giving up when it wasn’t close to hand.

_And speaking of Paul…_

She had been halfway to the reservation with the intent of dropping him home and calling Jacob for a ride when she realized that it might actually be safer for _him_ if she just took him home with her. People who had had too much to drink almost always suffered impaired judgment along with diminished motor-skills, and she’d never have forgiven herself if she’d left him there, only for him to climb back on his bike and kill himself in some horrific accident. It would _have_ to be horrific in order to off one of the near-indestructible werewolves.

She remembered pulling into her driveway and breathing a huge sigh of relief for both the fact that she had gotten the two of them there, safely…and that she could finally disentangle herself from Paul without looking like a little coward. His hands had easily spanned her hips as he’d lifted her off the front of his bike and set her on her feet with an effortlessness that was highly unnerving. Part of her had wanted to scurry all the way up the stairs and through the door. When he had finally stood upright and gracefully dismounted the bike, she had forced herself to stand her ground despite the fact that he was fucking _huge._ She’d stood on the second step while waiting for him to follow her and he had still managed to tower over her.

For all of his drunkenness, he had still been amazingly fluid in gait and movement as he’d strode to the bottom of the steps and turned to get a better look at her neighborhood, the dark satiny length of his hair catching the faint breeze from where it swept half way down the deeply carved muscles of his back. She might even have just stood there watching the strikingly beautiful werewolf, were it not for the fact that he’d begun to move back towards his bike.

“You good, here? Nice neighborhood, by the way,” he’d called over his shoulder.

“Wait!” Bella had stumbled after him, desperately wracking her brain for any excuse at all to keep him there. It didn’t help things when he glanced at her over his shoulder and lifted a brow in question, leaving her to feel as if she were on the spot. “Um…Embry was supposed to stay over with me, tonight.”

 _Damnit, could she stop stammering around him?!_ She’d never had a problem articulating the English language, before. Not even when she had been dating the sexually repressed vampire virgin. _And for the love of god, keep your face straight!_

That had brought him back around to face her, and she’d found herself craning her neck just to look him in the face despite the fact that he was still on the walkway leading towards the driveway. Something had given her the impression that Paul was amused by her, but that suggested that he must have had one hell of a poker-face because she’d almost wondered if she were imagining it.

“He sometimes stays with me to keep me company while the others are out. He’s really good at keeping away the bad dreams.” It had sounded plausible enough as an excuse and she knew that all of the Pack was well aware of her nightmares. She hated the fact that she was being forced to attempt emotional blackmail on someone who was supposedly incapable of any kind of pity just to keep him from accidentally killing himself. She had had to bully herself into looking as if she were nervous over more than his proximity to her. She’d widened her eyes and used the unease generated by his predatory demeanor to make herself look guileless and vulnerable.

The corners of his mouth had curved upwards. “And I take it you want me to stay?”

“If you wouldn’t mind?” Yeah, she was going to hell. Not only had she been lying but she was doing it badly. She hadn’t known why he wasn’t seeing through her, but she had been grateful because she hadn’t been about to let him leave.  She’d mentally braced herself, before slowly reaching out and sliding her hand into his. She had fought herself to not start squirming as the butterflies launched an airstrike in her stomach when long, powerful fingers laced themselves through hers in acceptance as he allowed her to begin towing him up the stairs and through her front door.

Things were a bit blurry from there. She remembered thinking that there was no way in hell she could park him on her sofa, because Paul was pushing seven feet in height, taller than even Jacob who was supposedly born and bred for the Alpha position. She remembered schooling her face into an expression of meekness and hoping like hell he would buy it. Jacob had once said that this guy was god’s gift to assholes, and she was hoping his drunken amiability would hold out long enough to get him tucked away in her room. There was, however, nothing blurry about the memory of when he’d unhurriedly reached up and tugged at the ringed zipper of his shirt. The soft grinding of the steel teeth as they’d parted way had lifted the fine hairs on the back of her neck as warm golden skin was slowly exposed along the sculpted chest and hard abs that were even more delicious than had been promised. The soft fabric had slipped away from the low-slug waistband that rode under the smooth tight roping of his obliques where they curved just over his hips and formed a highly defined v shape, eventually falling to the floor in his wake to lay forgotten.

Bella had wanted to smack herself, but that might have drawn his attention back to the way her eyes were growing wider with helpless awe. Her overwrought brain had temporarily shut down, before it decided that the werewolf’s brand of handsome, unlike Jacob’s clean-cut boy next door looks, were less the end result and more a side effect of the sensuality so brutally stamped across every feature, practically screaming ‘come-fuck-me-blind’. She hadn‘t even been sure if she were disappointed or thankful that he hadn‘t taken off those silver shades, because she had the disquieting suspicion that his eyes could completely demolish every defense and inhibition she‘d ever tried to harbor. _Focus, Bella!_

She’d shaken herself from her stupor, then found herself in the alarming position of having to share the bed with him after he’d started pulling on the Pack’s memories of her on the nights spent keeping the dreams from overwhelming her. She remembered the way her bed had groaned as if it were being tortured when he’d sat down on it, as if he were somehow disproportionately heavy to even his own massive size. She’d turned and started to walk away to let him sleep it off and only then did she begin to realize just exactly how screwed she was when he reached out and shackled her wrist with his fingers. Embry and Jacob were both prone to cuddling her, something that worked for them though maybe it was just because they were the cuddling type. She'd swallowed hard as he’d pulled her down onto the bed with him and at that point she was forced to conclude that her plotting was seriously backfiring on her as he’d slowly tugged her back against him with a hand so big it spanned her stomach, the gravitational pull on her from his own mass coaxing her body back into line with his before he locked his forearm down over her hips to keep her tucked against him. It had felt like forever before she could force her tense body to relax against his, the slow rhythmic thump of his heartbeat against her back eventually managing to lull her into drowsiness. It was only after she was just inches from sleep that she absently noted that he no longer smelled of liquor but it was far too late for her to attempt to figure out why that would be.

 

She cracked open an eye to glance at her clock, realizing that it was now close to eight in the evening which would explain the faint growling of her stomach. Part of her wanted to ignore it in the face of her complete relaxation. But, what with Paul having apparently disappeared for the time being, there was now a driving need to get herself up and find him to make certain he was still safely in the house. She wasn’t sure how long it would be till he sniffed out the keys she’d managed to swipe out of his hand on the way up the stairs and hid in her panty drawer while he’d explored her room with his back to her, but it wouldn’t take long if he were determined. And if she were to be honest, she really didn’t want him getting angry with her for it. She sighed; mentally plotting a course of attack that started with appealing to the bottomless pit those Quileute males called a stomach and ending with hunting through her father’s belongings for a spare set of handcuffs that she was sadly all too aware would do little more than hopefully make him laugh at her long enough that she could call Sam for help.

 

She breathed in one last slow, deep breath to gear herself up, when that strange something that had insisted she pay more attention a few minutes before suddenly jumped up and down waving red flags when a heavy thigh slid upwards between her own and even though the hands curved over her backside were amazingly warm-

_WHAT IN THE FREAKY BLUE HELL?!_

Bella’s eyes popped open when the big, greedy panty-invaders loosened momentarily, only to have them slide down a bit and claim the entirety of each cheek before squeezing them both almost possessively. Her torso jerked up and she realized with sudden and alarming clarity that she was not lying on her bed, but was draped atop Paul like a small human blanket. The leg she had thought she’d curled against the side of her bed was in actuality snuggled up tightly against his hip. _Oh crap…_

His arced brows drew together in a faint scowl for a moment as she lurched atop him, before easing back as she went still again. His black hair spilled over her pillows, the sun striking off glints of blue and gleaming on the silver shades he’d evidently fallen asleep still wearing.

Everything about the situation Bella had just discovered herself to be in was so completely and utterly wrong. She was used to sleeping with overgrown wolf-boys but _this_? This was just ridiculous! Her skin prickled with heat from where her forearms were braced against his bare upper chest and the butterflies renewed their assault when she felt his heavily muscled body flexing lazily beneath hers as he shifted position. She was pretty sure that she really only wanted to scramble away from him, but she was also of the opinion that she didn’t really want him waking up to her straddling him like some horny little strumpet either. She’d heard all kinds of stories about the vicious responses he was known for whenever he’d been approached by females drawn to his staggering looks. 

_Strumpet? Really, Bella? You must have spent way too much time around Jacob._

Strumpet was a favorite term of his for all the girls that loved to languish in his wake, sighing after him like he was a treasured and coveted piece of chocolate they wanted to melt in their mouths. Always said with a cheeky grin and a raised brow, the old fashioned term never failed to draw a giggle from her. And she was pretty sure _he’d_ have been giggling his cute little wolfy hiney off at _her_ but for two very important facts. First: her current bedmate was Paul. Second: she had been sleeping on him as if he were her very own personal body-warmer.

_Did you forget the hands on your ass, Bella?_

She scowled at the little voice in her head that was insisting on pointing out the glaringly obvious, because really, how could she _ever_ forget that there was a huge pair of amazingly warm hands that were wrapped so tightly around her bottom, it almost appeared as if they were jealously guarding their newly claimed ‘property’ from each other. _Honestly, did it think she was that slow?_

Bella groaned and dropped her head into her hands in self-disgust. She was actually talking to herself, and even worse _answering_ herself back. Wasn’t that a sign of insanity, or something?

The thump of her forehead hitting her hands must have roused him and she cursed her luck as she went completely and utterly still, her eyes widening with a sense of dread as the sleeping werewolf suddenly turned to face the girl sprawled over his chest. She could practically feel the weight of his gaze as she lay there, all but frozen with anxiety. _Oh, man…she was in sooo much trouble…_

She felt the low rumble of his voice through his chest where her arms and upper torso lay along his. “Mmmm…evenin’.”

 _Oh, god…_ his sleep-roughened voice was so close to an animalistic purr, she felt her stomach flip over while her hormones practically begged her to dry-hump the thigh he still had between her own unless she could find some way to actually fuck his voice. Her muscles tensed as she forced herself to remain still, trembling faintly as heat licked up her spine in embarrassment. She had no idea why he was affecting her so horribly, she was never the type to be helpless against the lure of a pretty face or a fit body because those were a dime a dozen amongst the supernatural societies. She knew damn well that she’d better figure out what it was, and _soon_ , before she managed to lose control of herself to the point of offending the _both_ of them. She suspected he wasn’t really awake enough yet to realize just how dicey their situation was, because he was completely and utterly relaxed.

She could only be thankful for his tolerance as she got herself back under control, planting her hands against his chest and sitting upright as she attempted to drag herself away from the inviting heat of his body where she had sat momentarily straddling his lean waist…when she found herself caught by the hands still planted firmly where she was mostly certain they didn’t belong.

He lifted a brow in question of her aborted attempt to dismount him and she bit her tongue sharply in self-reprimand, desperately attempting to ignore the way his abs bunched and flexed against her inner thighs where they curled around him. She could feel the almost painfully hard blush burn it’s was across her face and counted to three before she managed to look him in the face.  She really didn’t want to answer his unspoken question, but she knew it was better to ‘grab the wolf by the tail’ than to just sit there looking at him. Not that that idea didn’t have its own merits.

“Your hands are on my butt.” She was very proud of the way her voice stayed in its proper octave and tempo. Even more proud of the fact that she was managing what she assumed to be eye-contact despite the fact that she was sure her face would shame a tomato. She didn’t feel it to be necessary to point out the fact that they were doing so from _beneath_ her clothing.

His face was disconcertingly calm as he slowly tilted his head and leaned to the side to peek around her hip with only a mildly curious upward curl to the corners of his upper lip. The other brow slid upward momentarily to join the first, before he turned back to her with an unflustered expression. “Oh. You’re right.”

Bella blinked. _That was it?_ She had panicked and mentally squirmed over his possible retaliation and all she got was ‘ _oh, you’re right’?_ Maybe he was still drunk? To tell the truth, that would explain a lot about his current behavior. He appeared to be perfectly content right where he was, his concealed gaze seeming to casually take in whatever parts of her room he may have missed the last time. _And his hands were still on her butt._ “You plan on removing them anytime soon?”

A dimple flickered in his cheek as let her draw his attention away from her book collection. “You think I should?”

The earnestness of his tone completely threw her off. Where was all the hostility? All the rudeness and blatant spitefulness? Still…

“It would make it easier for me to get up and go make dinner?” She tried pretending that she was as unaffected by the situation as he apparently was, though if she were going to be honest; it was kind of hard on her self-esteem that his hands in her panties meant exactly nada to perfectly lovely lush. _Besides, if you don’t succeed with appealing to a male’s sense of decorum, try simple logic and food-bribery._

She gave herself a mental fist-pump when it seemed to work, his broad shoulders rolling in a lazily negligent shrug as he relaxed his grip. Bella almost squealed in surprise as his hands abruptly slid down around her hips, his thumbs digging almost gently into the sensitive muscles of her groin, the heels of his palms pressing a hair’s breadth from a place that had he been in his right mind she would have been forced to slug him for touching even if it meant pulverizing the bones in her hand. He hefted her up and off his body as if she weighed as much as that blanket she had just likened herself to scant minutes ago. And once more she was amazed, in spite of herself, by just how graceful he was as he swung his legs over the side and seemingly _flowed_ up onto his feet before letting her slide down the front of his body when he apparently remembered he was still holding her aloft.

“Sorry,” he said with a tiny smile before striding forward to retrieve his shirt, bending smoothly at the waist and snagging it then lifting it up and sniffing the crumpled fabric. Despite the floundering of her usually rational nature, she couldn’t help but giggle at the way his nose scrunched up and the faint curl of his upper lip as he decided there was no way in hell he was going to put the thing back on in the state it was in. It was strictly self-preservation that caused her to offer him the loan of a shirt, because watching him slowly lift his arms into a spine-bending stretch had her just about ready to swallow her tongue trying to suppress her whimper of helpless appreciation.

The giggles once more forced themselves past her lips as he turned towards her with an almost playful smirk as he lifted a shirt out of the drawer that could never, not even in its wildest dreams, attempt to cover his massive torso. She skirted around him and tugged open the drawer above it, before sheepishly offering him his choice of the contents of her pajama shirt collection. “They’re not terribly masculine, but one might fit you.”

He shrugged nonchalantly and sifted through them before lifting his nose and seemingly following it back in the direction of her bed where he tugged a deep lavender shirt out from under her pillow. It was conspicuously girly with its cutely grinning cartoon Cheshire Cat and on Bella it fell clear down to her knees. She started to point out that it wasn’t as clean as the others, but he waved her off after telling her it was soft and twisted to pull it over his head, giving Bella a brief glimpse of a dark wildcat tattooed along his right shoulder-blade where it climbed up his back before it disappeared as he pulled the shirt down. Bella wasn’t terribly surprised to note that it fit him as if it had been spray-painted on, scarcely reaching his hips. 

“So…” he said over his shoulder, shaking Bella from her thoughts, “you mentioned something about dinner?”

 _Oh, thank god,_ Bella thought, _finally something that was normal._

 


	3. Headstrong - Trapt

"Now, you're absolutely sure about that?" The young man's voice was both astonished and disgusted as he sought confirmation that he wasn't really certain he wanted.

"Oh, for the love of-" The older werewolf ground his teeth in frustration and fisted his hands into his recently shorn hair as his body vibrated faintly in agitation. " _FOR THE LAST FRIGGIN' TIME, JACOB! YES,_ I'm sure it was around four a.m when he got back in. Yes I'm sure he smelled like he'd been spending time with a female. No, I don't know who she was, and yes, I'm pretty God damned sure they weren't sitting around knitting socks!"

Jacob was all too familiar with the scent of female arousal and how clouds of the noxious stuff tended to follow in the wake of the pack members, given their looks and physiques. But as well acquainted as he was with the biting edge of Paul's commonly vicious temper, he couldn't begin to understand how he had come to be wearing the scent willingly. Sure, he wished like hell that Shay had gleaned more information about the situation at hand. But also couldn't fault the young man for failing to question Paul on his actions, not only because he had no status as of yet in the pack, but also for the fact that Paul was unpredictable at best. Shay was still unstable enough to phase at the drop of a hat and as a result was a little too easily provoked. Luckily, Shay was also intelligent enough to know that if it came down to a simple knock down drag out, he couldn't rely on his frenzied newly-phased strength to bail him out. That strangeness in Paul that seemingly affected the traits of both of his physical forms also manifested in the intensity of his senses and abilities, all of them appearing to be curiously driven by a rage that not even an entire werewolf pack on the tail of a vampire could touch.

To date, Jacob had honestly never heard of  _any_ girl getting close enough to Mr. Volatility to leave him with traces of their arousal lingering on his strangely hued skin. Unless… _Jesus, had he taken up womanizing, now, along with all his other disagreeable habits?_

The younger wolf didn't really know what to thinkat that point. From what he understood, Sam had to send Paul as a last resort, something that he was still not sure how he felt about. But not only had that freaky red-headed leech poked her ugly pug nose in along their border while trying to determine Bella's whereabouts, Shay had a meltdown when faced with the things they were born to hunt. He'd actually thrown a tantrum on the forest floor, something that was pretty damn funny to witness given the fact that he'd been furry at the time. Luckily, he'd only done so  _after_ the leech had bailed over the cliffs, or Jacob suspected that it wouldn't have gone over quite so easily. But the situation had only been exacerbated by the sudden imprinting of the two youngest wolves on a pair of girls out on a road trip-slash-vacation and just so happened to stop at a rest stop.

The crew of twelve werewolves had run all the way to the state line after their prey, and when she managed to lose them, they decided to relax along the return trip by phasing and stopping in at a gas station along the highway for a few drinks. Sam had hunted up a young girl whom he had shamelessly charmed into loaning out her cellphone, first text-messaging Bella about the situation before calling their missing wolf and extracting his promise to at least pretend he was capable of civility with their adopted human, even if it meant wringing his stores of patience for the next year to use on the girl for the hour it would take out of his life to pick her up and drive her home. Paul had been at work on an early shift, leaving him available to pick up Jacob's best friend. It was only  _after_ Sam had hung up the phone and crossed his fingers in a desperate hope for the bestthat he'd discovered Brady and Collin standing in tongue-tied twitterpation watching a mini-van motoring up the road and into the distance.

After he had managed to decipher the reason for their babbling foolishness, he'd stood in the middle of the parking lot with his head in his hands and willed himself not to start screaming in frustration while yanking himself bald, before managing to force himself to take deep breaths so as to not throttle the two young teens. Long moments had passed before he'd quietly ordered the Pack into the woods, where they had phased back into mutant-puppy form and resorted to tracking the SUV full of imprints with mother and father in tow like a pack of well-trained bloodhounds.

Watching Sam attempt to stutter out an explanation through his blushing for the overly forward behavior of two thirteen year old boys, both of them looking far more like Jacob's chronological age than their own, to the parents of two wide eyed little Swedish girls had been even funnier than watching Shay thump his feet in the dirt and howl like a pouting three year old. They'd all been forced to stifle their guffaws at the ridiculous cuteness when those pretty blue pairs of eyes had gleamed like they'd been visited early by Santa Clause himself and he'd left the perfect gifts under the tree.

Jacob had spent the following evening and night laughing at the sheer humorousness of that day, somehow forgetting all about Bella and Paul. Now, Jacob was left to wonder just who's house Paul had stopped at after he dropped off Bella. He hoped like hell that the girl wouldn't get hurt when Paul reverted to his normal modus operandi. He also knew that Paul was required to drink on the job on occasion, so there was a high possibility that the other male could possibly forget both the fact that he had screwed some poor girl…and actually forget just who she might be. He could only pray that she hadn't caught a last name that could be used to track the asshole down with because the confrontation would be beyond ugly.

Shay stopped his frenetic pacing after a few deep breaths and slowly pulled himself back under control. The tremors finally died off and he watched the younger man's facial expressions shift as if he were having some sort of internal debate. From the way his straight brows drew together in an intense scowl, it wasn't going well, and he wasn't all together certain he wanted to be here when it came to a close. But, Jacob was his alpha and so he sighed while rubbing the back of his neck in resignation as he waited.

 _"Shit,"_ Jacob finally muttered. "I just hope he wasn't too hard on Bella. You know how he gets around girls. Thankfully, Bella's not the sort to impose herself where she's not wanted, so there should be no problem on that front. I know that Sam's kept them pretty well separated untilnow, so I can only hope that the damage will be minimal. Jesus, what was he thinking anyway, sending Paul?"

"He was probably thinking that sending Paul was better than letting her walk home or allow collateral damage in the form of some poor schmuck kid after they drove her home. Especially with that leech-bitch stalking her like some lovesick fan-girl…Hell,  _I'd_  think twice about taking him on what with the attitude he was sporting when he got back, even if I  _were_ that bloodthirsty redheaded twat."

"What do you mean," Jacob questioned. "Was he-"

"I'd say somewhere between cantankerous and absolutely pissed-the-fuck-off." Shay grunted to himself as he replayed the memory in his mind's eye. "Now that I think about it…he kinda seemed more aggressive than I would have expected for a simple hangover. Though considering how much it takes to get one of us sloshed, maybe he was just pissed over the bar tab?"

Jacob just shook his head and tried to make sense of the situation.

Shay hadn't had spent much time around Paul, not that he was really complaining. Information about the largest wolf was fed to all new 'Pack Recruits' as a matter of preservation of their population.

When the older twins had arrived, they had been far too amped up to bother with social cues. Jared and Embry, being two of the calmest, had been the two tapped for 'new wolf duty'; while Paul was simply there to make sure the twins didn't go gallivanting off around La Push on four legs to howl at the moon. Pierce had been the one to try and push the a-typically quiet werewolf around as he sat braced against the wall in the corner, somehow missing the look of appalled panic on both Jared and Embry's faces as the strange wolf slowly smiled, a basso-growl rumbling up his throat. Macey, his newly born wolf mistaking the other's body language just like his brother had, for an omega wolf, had joined in on the goading. It was instinctive of wolves, the need to test for their place in the pack hierarchy.

_They just picked the wrong damned wolf to test._

Paul had exploded up off the ground and lunged for them and when the twins had instantly phased in response to the sudden manifestation of a threat, the older wolf had begun to beat down the both of them with a wild exhilaration that was unnerving to witness. That he had done it with his bare  _human_  hands had made it even worse. Neither Embry nor Jared, the later having actually grown up with the wolf in question and knowing just how unpredictable he could be, were prepared for such a thing and had scrambled to pull the much larger wolf off of Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

Sam had been out running patrol and had had to haul tail towards the rez when he'd heard the howling, because with Paul in human form, he'd had no way to lay an Alpha command on him from a distance to get him to stop. Jacob remembered the sense of unease in Sam's later recollection of that night, because even with the help of Jared and Embry, it had been a struggle to pull Paul off the twins when the command did little more than piss him off further. He never actually disobeyed, because it seemed more as if the very fact that someone had dared attempt to control him had pushed him even further over the edge. Sam had finally been obligated to leave them to it for the time it took him to drag Jacob away from his home chores and back towards the fray. It had taken the combined orders of both Sam  _and_ Jacob to force the bastard back under control long enough to settle the dispute.

It was safe to say,  _no one_ made that mistake again. And from then on, it was either Jacob or Sam who rode herd on the newbies.

Yet, it was also Paul who had hunted down and cornered the dread-locked foreign leech when he had strayed too close to their borders. The twit's justification about coming to check on Bella on behalf of the missing Cullen coven had been his flimsy first attempt at excusing his presence. The rest of them had arrived just in time to hear him howling about their demise at Victoria's hands when she came to do away with their little breakable human pack-member. Paul's mind-voice had been contemptuous as was usual for him in regards to Bella, but in his book, it didn't matter just how many vegetarian vampires she befriended, she was human, his alpha's sister-imprint, and therefore not going to die at the hands of some low level lackey of a bloodsucker who hadn't even been smart enough to run when faced with a pack of pissed off and territorial werewolves.

Laurent's manic ravings had died off when Embry finally lost his patience and sank his teeth into the thing's neck, ripping his still yowling head off to the accompaniment of the earsplitting shriek of tearing metal.

But to Jacob's mind, the strangest thing was the fact that two days after the incident with Macey and Pierce, they both seemed to simply shrug off their beating and accept that Paul was their superior, before both proceeded to become as friendly with him as he would allow them to be. They loved to pull pranks, and a great many of them were involved around drawing out non-malicious amusement from the moody bastard. The very fact that they occasionally managed to succeed spoke volumes about them, and no matter how many times their antics pissed Jacob off, he wouldn't trade them for anything. It was directly attributed to them that Paul had, for the past few months, not ended up in yet another holding cell overnight.

_A perfect example had taken place less than a month ago…_

The newest deputy of the Fork PD had pulled over their resident bastard-wolf for speeding and later cited him for driving while supposedly intoxicated, and had then been forced to follow through by himself in the face of his partner's perceived derision when his catch just so happened to be a stone faced giant with eerie eyes that made him shiver after he'd demanded he remove the shades. He'd assumed that his new partner had simply felt no need to assist in a regular citation for a DUI, or maybe it was simply that the senior officer was contemptuous of the nature of his very first apprehension as patrolman. He didn't find out till later that it wasn't derision but apprehension that had made the other man keep his ass glued to the seat while the newer officer forced himself to stand his ground in the face of the goading smile that crossed the young biker's face as he was maneuvered into the back of the cruiser. He had no idea just how lucky he was that Paul was in an accommodating mood that night, especially when the poor deputy had later been forced to let him go after it was proved that the young man wasn't truly intoxicated, but simply doused in liquor where a clumsy customer had dumped whiskey on his clothing at work. Jacob wasn't sure when, exactly, the twins had managed to mellow him to the point that he'd actually allowed the foolish young officer to handcuff him without a qualm and quietly sit in a cell till they discovered their gaffe in arresting him in the first place, but they were a godsend.

"Do you have any idea where the Roark twins are? We might need them…" Jacob murmured, watching Shay from where he lay under the tree as he attempted to relax.

"No idea. Maybe they're doing what  _we_ should be and staying far away from him. I tend to  _like_ having no broken bones or lacerations, thank you very much. Besides," Shay went on with a faint quirk to the corners of his upper lip, "You didn't see the look on his face when he got back. Wasn't pretty, man."

"How so? And Jesus, could you sit  _still_  for once?"

Shay shrugged from where he hung by the limb of the tree, before swinging himself up to lie along it while looking down at Jacob. "I think better while moving. Anyway, you remember when the twins managed to swap all of Mamma Clearwater's sugar with salt right before she spent a week baking for that silly party all those months ago? Sure, I didn't know about any of  _this_ ," he continued with a casual flick of his wrist that indicated all the supernatural goings-on before piling both hands together and propping his chin on them, "but it wasn't all that hard to tell that Paul laughing while  _not_ beating the crap out of someone was kind of a rarity. I'm pretty sure it was obvious by then to most of the rez that Paul seemed to have formed a mutual admiration society of two with his inner sociopath."

Jacob couldn't help his low chuckle at the humorous, though apt, observation. "Oh, yeah, I remember. I thought Sue was gonna skin  _both_ of them alive for that little stunt. I think Macey hid for a week straight whenever he even  _thought_ he smelled her coming, and Pierce was hardly any better. But yeah…Paul was pretty laid back that day. I think I actually heard him chuckling when Pierce panicked and took a swan-dive behind the Lay-z-boy just to avoid Sue's wrath." Jacob snorted, then sobered. "After…he seemed even more pissy than usual. Never did figure out why."

Shay eyed him carefully, his legs hooking together at the ankle over the branch. "Anyway…later that evening, I heard he got into a fight."

Jacob sighed, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. The last fight that he could remember Paul having actually earned the time he spent in Lockup had been for beating the leader of a traveling biker-gang with the butt of his own shotgun. Three broken ribs, a broken leg, a shattered cheekbone and nose, and a dislocated collar-bone had been the result when the older man had tried to force his way through his attitudinal pack-mate and into the club that Paul bounced for. Most men, the sane ones anyway, were exquisitely careful not to cross him, even the ones who assumed that the old adage held true…'the bigger they are, the slower they are'. The filthy, stupid man had heard of the club through another biker-buddy and was scoping a possible new hangout for his crew in the tiny town with so few police.

Paul had ripped the gun out of the smaller man's hands as he attempted to intimidate the bouncer into letting him by, where he then proceeded to casually spin the thing through his fingers like some freaking band major in a parade and slam the wooden stock into the man's face. A broken nose and two black eyes…and all the while Paul had been wearing that creepy fucking smile that Jacob was beginning to loathe. And because Paul had somehow developed the ability to block them from certain parts of his mind, though he could speak into the link whenever he so chose and see whatever they all saw be it live or Memorex, Sam had only been able to show Jacob the memory through the pack-mind after having to sit through the video-replay of the incident when the authorities had demanded he get an up-close-and-personal of the infraction. As if Sam could somehow be unaware of what the younger male was capable of. The two alphas supposed they should just be grateful that the police somehow missed the fact that the drunk had actually stabbed Paul with a knife several times during the altercation, the black shirt he had been wearing masking the bloodstains. The police had had no choice but to place him in a holding cell for the weekend, the length of time it took for the biker to regain consciousness and disappear, not wanting to face charges of attempted armed-assault. Charlie Swan had managed to 'lose' the tape so as to hide the evidence of Paul's lack of humanity. The shirt, he had carefully doused with Jack Daniels before rinsing it thoroughly, the blood swirling down the drain when he stated that he simply didn't want to smell the booze overpowering his holding cell.

He, though, like all the others, was wary of Paul.

Though in the end, Paul had been let off with little more than a reprimand, because there had been no one to press charges. Paul's boss had simply shrugged before giving him a raise. After all, having a bouncer who didn't scare easy was worth his considerable weight in gold in his line of work.

"He's really beginning to worry me," Jacob said, a frown once more appearing that seemed amiss on his handsome face. "Sam has to keep him constantly under Alpha Order just to keep the bastard on his leash. It's been a while since he would fight when they would haul him into the station, though I guess I can't complain that he doesn't anymore…I would hate for Charlie to have to deal with that shit. Though, if he gets any bigger, I'm pretty sure one of them will end up shooting his ass out of panic if he shows any sign of resisting like he used to."

"What's the deal with that, anyway?" Shay asked. "I thought  _you_ were supposed to be the biggest since you were born to be Alpha."

"The hell if I know," Jacob sighed. It was a well-known fact that Sam had been the largest of them until Jacob had finally decided to man-up and start taking over some of his responsibilities as future chief of his tribe. When Jacob had been given the second in command position of their pack, he'd grown physically until he was the largest wolf in their strange little tribe of thirteen, just as it would be in the wild. No one understood why Paul had then had a growth spurt of his own. Nevermind the fact that, before he had phased, Paul had been pushing six and a half feet in height. He, in all honesty, was never even supposed to have phased in the first place. The shifter-gene was passed down from father to son down the line and it was Paul's  _mother_  that bore the connection to the pack's bloodline…

_It was also unfortunate that with his increased stature came an increased restlessness that he tempered with a slowly escalating appetite for violence._

Jacob found himself always on the alert when the older male was present; something about him setting his teeth on edge as if he could taste that fine line of restraint that Paul loved to flirt with. Part of him wanted to simply assume control of the pack so as to gain a better hold over his brother-wolf. As it stood, Paul allowed Sam to give him orders because he actually respected him. Paul wasn't so accepting of the younger Alpha and Jacob's wolf was beginning to resent it. It demanded he force the other into his place. But Jacob was not ready for that fight, neither emotionally nor physically. Sam reasoned that when the younger Alpha was ready, he would finally outgrow Paul. Jacob guessed that at that point he would finally gain the strength he would need to enforce his dominance. That was the way it had been for generations…the Black family-line being born and bred for leadership.

But for now, Bella had been tossed on the dubious mercies of a questionable werewolf, a nameless and faceless young woman had quite possibly been lured in by said wolf…and there Jacob stood on the sidelines…unable to even begin sorting out the endless list of possible disasters looming on the horizon.

:}{:


	4. Fake It - Seether

Sam sat quietly at the kitchen table and absently watched Emily cook while lost in thought. It had been a long day at the site of the house he was rebuilding for one of Charlie Swan’s deputies. He had been hosing himself off in the back yard (Emily _hated_ it when he tracked dirt and sawdust all over her clean floors) when his cell phone went off to the tune of _Spirit in the Sky._ It had been an ironic nod to the fact that their lives were ruled by the whims of Taha Aki. He had almost expected it to be Jared as he was about due to be coming off his patrol-shift.

Jacob had been on the line, and it had taken all of two words for Sam to know that his evening was already looking for its own personal hand-basket to hell. _“It’s Paul.”_

Sam had sighed in resignation, and then offered to meet his younger counter-part at his own home before he settled in for the late afternoon.

Jacob had come storming in his back door seconds after Sam had walked through the front, in a full righteous lather over Bella Swan… as if Sam hadn’t seen enough of those since the kid had fist joined the ranks of the furry-inclined. He’d had just enough time to kiss Emily in greeting as she vacated the room and plant his ass in a chair at the kitchen table before Jacob had begun ranting over the very fact that Paul had been near ‘his Bells’ at all.

Now most days, Sam would have been in agreement with Jacob. After all, he wouldn’t want to inflict Paul on _anyone_ let alone sweet little Bella Swan. But Jacob seemed to have forgotten that everyone _but_ Paul had been across the state lines and unable to get her. What did the boy _want_ Sam to do, pull another shifter out of his ass, all stable and ready for just such an occasion?! He’d gone on to say that Paul had apparently shown up on the rez at a very late hour and he’d been ‘unreasonably’ angry. Sam’s wolf had snorted in derision because, really, when had Paul ever been reasonable in his rages? His next accusation had been even more outlandish than Sam could have guessed, and Shay had reluctantly allowed himself to be hauled in to confirm as best he could what few facts they had.

After Sam had dragged the two young men outside and all three had phased, he had gotten a better grasp on the situation at hand. Yes, Paul had come in late and smelling like a female but Shay had no idea who it was. When asked for a visual, the newest wolf had momentarily shied away from the request, though he had finally agreed under duress just shy of Jacob ordering him.

The first few moments were calm and nothing more than the quiet of the pre-dawn forest before it was broken by the low roar of a motorcycle engine. For a moment, Shay had been curious as to the identity of its rider, as the wind had shifted and blown the scent away from him. He’d crept slowly closer on his huge silent paws after the engine was cut, muzzle lifted and eyes carefully scanning the undergrowth when a deep, rumbling growl had echoed through the trees and caused wolf-Shay to instinctually freeze.

The one wolf Shay had been warned away from came stalking down the narrow patrol path, and a part of him wanted to find the closest bush to dive into in hopes that he would not be seen. Paul was intimidating on a good day and clearly this was not one of those days…

At six feet, ten inches, Paul would have been more than enough to make most people stop in their tracks on sheer size alone, even if you ignored the aura of hair-trigger danger that he wore like a second skin. _Ignored the fact that, even on two legs, he still moved like a wild animal on a tenuous leash._ Moonlight filtered through the treetops, and Shay had a moment of confusion as it shot sparks of blue off his dark hair and gleamed against his golden skin, because moonlight should have cast him in a silver wash of light…

But Sam had found himself actually cringing away from the projected memory of the glittering rage in the huge wolf’s eerie eyes, his jaw locked and ticking intermittently. His entire body had seemed to shimmer darkly before it appeared to actually _increase_ in height and mass, every curve and slope of thick muscle in his massive torso pulling tighter into stark relief as if the rage were coursing through his very veins like some sick drug. Paul had stopped for a moment and actually looked to be attempting to calm himself by pulling in slow deep breaths, before sending a heavy fist _through_ the trunk of a tree with a sharp, almost feline snarl. Strange scents had wafted through the hidden werewolf’s senses, including one that made his whole body feel tight and itchy all over. _The scent of a female wanting a male in the basest of ways._ Then Paul had moved off the path towards a well hidden house set deep in the trees. Sam had also taken note that Jacob had seemed to miss just how… _inhuman_ …Paul had looked. Nor would he ever tell Jacob that it wasn’t the first time he’d seen this strange transformation occur. He just hoped that like the previous rare occurrences of this, it would reverse itself within hours. He was also thankful that the boy was far too focused on his theory that Paul had debauched some girl in the span of time from when he’d left Bella to when he’d arrived in La Push to notice Sam’s reticence. Besides, Sam highly doubted Jacob’s conclusion…Paul very clearly did not have the look of a satisfied man.

Once assured that he was no longer needed, Shay had beat a hasty retreat, still unsettled by the entire thing, though unable to lay a mental finger on why.  And for a few moments, Sam had begun to think that maybe… _just maybe_ …Jacob was finally beginning to question some of the strangeness surrounding their resident bastard. But he was only disappointed when Jacob had finally insisted that in the future, he be allowed to stay behind to protect Bella from the leech. Sam never doubted that his heart was in the right place, but all the same…it seemed like every time he seemed to be maturing, the younger Alpha would say something to make Sam wonder if Jacob would ever grow the hell up. Because the cold, hard truth was that Paul was by far the strongest and fastest of them, and if the younger Alpha’s intent were simply to see Bella safe, no one could have done it better than the one who he wanted restricted from her in the first place.

_But convincing the cold-blooded sonofabitch to become amenable to such a long-term duty was the catch._

But that was just one of the problems on Sam’s plate. The other?

Jacob, as the Alpha-by-blood, _should_ have been the one to lead the chase for the undead female Ginger. Sam had no problem with providing guidance, but that didn’t stop him from hoping the boy would finally shoehorn his head out of his own ass.  There was also the fact that it was _instinct_ that forced the pack into snarling pursuit, leaving little time for plans involving anything other than tearing their prey limb from dead limb. There had been very little time to cover all possible loose ends and as much as Sam would have _loved_ to keep Paul well away from his klutzy little soul-sister, it hadn’t been in the cards.

Sometimes, Sam honestly wondered just how many lupine instincts and tendencies Jacob actually possessed, because he reacted more often than naught like a jealous and self-considering teenager than the _born-to-be_ Alpha of a pack of Native American shape-shifters. And maybe he wasn’t being fair, thinking that the lovesick little fool should be able to place the welfare of the many over his perceived belief of the welfare of the one. Never mind that Bella would never have forgiven said fool if harm came to any tribal member because Jacob couldn’t keep his head in the game. It was a lucky thing that Jacob had remembered to lose his shit only _after_ it had been too late for anything else, because he knew the fight he would have had on his hands would have thrown off their pursuit of the leech and flung the rest of the pack into chaos.

It wouldn’t have been the first time for _that_ little tantrum, either.

A shifter-born wolf pack worked a great deal like a nature-born pack. So when one of the pack-mates took it upon himself to act out of turn, even if he so happened to be the acting Beta, it upset his brothers. They grew restless and aggressive, snarling and snapping as the one who _should_ have been keeping them in check displayed a weakness that had the rest of them fighting their own instincts in _killing_ the one displaying the weakness. It was a very simple thing to understand really. Most wolves were born to follow their superiors, and when that superior acted like an irresponsible childish prick, the others lost their sense of directive. Their more animalistic-selves struggled to cope with the knowledge that the one who should have kept them in line was failing in his purpose. And while the part of them that was human could understand the simple motivation of puppy-love, the part of them that was _other_ could only understand that their would-be Alpha was showing himself to be less than worthy of them.

Sam had actually been relieved when the sounds of _Hey There, Little Red Riding Hood_ had suddenly rung through the tense room. Embry, in one of his rare moments of mischief, had programed the song into all of their cellphones to inform everyone in the pack that Bella was on the line. Sam had sniggered in amusement when Jacob had turned almost purple in irritation the first few times he’d heard it, though he had later gotten over it. Sam rolled his eyes.

_As if he’d somehow repressed the fact that other males could actually find her attractive and the reminder didn’t sit right with him._

Right then, though, the call served to break the tension when Bella’s easy humor had come through over the line loud and clear as she teased her ‘older and therefore supposed to be more responsible brother’ about keeping appointments. It was after she had ironed out plans for repairs on her truck that she had lovingly nicknamed ‘Bess’ that Jacob had asked about Paul’s behavior towards her in the short time she’d had to endure him. And while she’d been strangely abrupt in her answer, they both were well acquainted with what a ‘Bella-lie’ sounded like. The lack of stammering and stuttering over her words led them to know that she was telling the truth when she claimed Paul had been nothing but polite to her from her own pick-up to his departure, as unbelievable as the very idea was.

Sam had hid his sigh of relief that Paul had apparently taken him at his word and drummed up every bit of patience he possessed for Bella’s benefit. He in no way wanted to give Jacob the idea that he’d doubted for one second the decision he’d made.

“You okay, baby?”

Emily’s voice from the doorway had swiftly yanked him from his brooding and he’d turned to face her from where she peeked around the doorway into the living room, her face tense with concern.

Emily had relaxed a bit when he beckoned her over with a small smile that told her it wasn’t anything dire…but the worry lines that pulled at his brows still bothered her. “What did he want?”

Sam had pulled her into his lap with a grunt. “What else, besides Bella, does he whine about? Paul.”

Emily had pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw. “Did he kill anyone?”

Sam had snorted because, sadly, every day brought them closer to that being a legitimate question. “No.”

She’d hid a smile against his chest, glad for any sign of amusement even if it wasn’t what she might have wished for. “Did he hurt anyone?”

Sam’s face had sobered quickly. “Not that I’ve heard of. At least, not yet anyway.”

Emily then leaned back and reached up to catch his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her gaze. He’d been unable to keep from smiling at the expression on her beautiful face, her slim brows drawn into a stubborn line as she’d waited for him to spill his guts over what was disturbing him. He never could resist her, not since the day he’d met her, and he’d had this horrible suspicion it had nothing to do with the imprint. Her soft lower lip had tightened as she lifted a brow to prompt him and he’d sighed before giving in. “It’s Jacob.”

Her face had instantly morphed from stubborn to sympathy. “Is it going to be a problem?”

He’d shrugged. “It seems to have resolved itself, luckily. Not sure how, but Paul actually managed to pretend that he was housebroken when he took Bella home last night. I’m not about to complain about it, either.”

“I’m sure Jacob did enough complaining for the both of you,” Emily had murmured wryly. Sam had lifted his own brow at her and her expression had turned impish, prompting a low bark of laughter from her wolf.

The quiet of the room was suddenly broken by the shrill scream of the house phone, sending both of them a few inches into the air. Sam remembered wincing at the ominous creaking of the chair as their combined weight landed, before reaching out to pull the handset off the receiver attached to the wall. “Hello?”

“Good evening, Sam. Glad to have caught you.” The smooth British inflection of the man’s voice had immediately caught Sam’s attention as to the identity of his caller.

_Paul’s boss._

Instantly, unease had crawled up Sam’s spine. The man rarely called, and even then it was always for a reason. “What can I do for you, Haven?”

Low laughter rumbled across the airwaves. “Nothing to fret over, Sam. Paul had forgotten his mobile when he left this morning, and I simply wanted to remind him to pick up the fliers for next week’s band at Kinko’s on his way in this evening.”

A year ago, Sam might have been a little freaked by Haven’s timing, because it happened far too often for it to be simply coincidence that just as Sam was assuring the man that he would pass the message along and had set the phone back on its cradle, Paul was just turning onto the street that would take him past Sam’s driveway, giving the other werewolf just enough time to scramble out the door and flag him down. This time, he’d found himself fighting not to back-step as the huge black beast rocked to a stop just feet from him, the momentum popping it up onto its front tire where the asshole riding it had smirked faintly before smoothly pivoting the back end into a ninety-degree aerial arc. Sam had closed his eyes and forced himself to exhale and not allow Paul to get to him. This newest stunt, this attempt to make Sam give ground, was simply yet another game to test his Alpha’s nerve.

When Sam had finally gained enough self-control to not attempt an Alpha-commanded-lobotomy, Paul was watching him with one of his more mildly provoking smiles from behind his ever-present silver shades, one wickedly-peaked black brow pulled up in question.

“Your boss called, said he needed you to pick up the fliers for next week.”

Paul had snorted faintly, nodded once to show that he’d heard, and then backed up a few feet before continuing on his way.

Sam had narrowed his eyes before bellowing down the street... “ ** _Thank you, Sam!_** Why, you’re welcome Paul! Happy to have been of assistance!”

Finally, after the infuriating fucker turned off on the next road, Sam walked back inside and prayed nothing else would be dropped on his head for the night, muttering the entire way. Emily had simply given him a sympathetic smile before returning to her cooking while Sam slumped in his chair and wondered which god he’d managed to piss off.

>:}{:<

Bella grumbled under her breath as she pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store, already despairing of finding a place to park her beloved red behemoth.

She’d been beyond overjoyed when Jacob had told her that it was fixable, though she needed to be far more careful unless she wanted to pop for a new part. She’d bitten her lip in indecision for all of seven seconds before she’d caved. She knew the truck wasn’t terribly girly but she’d been in love with it on first sight and paying for a new air conditioner, something that in a heat wave like this she could very have begun drooling over, was something she was more than happy to do.

Jacob had chuckled and told her it would take a few days. Bella had snorted and told him that she would pick him up tomorrow around lunch time and they would go track down a new one for her baby. They would make a day of it, and she’d make dinner for them and the parentals later that evening. Jacob’s typically sunny disposition and the spluttering of false outrage from her brother over her teasing had put a huge smile on her face, one that sadly lasted only as long as it took her to remember that she’d just backed herself into the corner of having to go shopping if she were to keep her agreement.

A driver in a tiny sports car suddenly shot across the lot in front of her, almost skidding into the space Bella had been eyeing and she had to stomp the brakes to avoid plowing into him, her eyes huge as her heart thumped uncomfortably in her chest at the close call. Her next instinct, the one born of far too much time spent with temperamental male _teenage_ werewolves insisted that if she smashed his car like a bug, she could still have the spot he’d swiped from her, but she managed to beat back the impulse.

She finally found a place to park in the booniesand with a muffled crow of victory she claimed the spot before opening her door and dropping down to the asphalt, fishing in her pockets for her shopping list.

Grabbing a cart, she began in the fresh produce section, carefully sorting through the selections with the eye of an experienced cook. Since she was there, she might as well bite the bullet and get next week’s shopping done while she was at it. She chuckled to herself, reflecting on the times Jared had accompanied her when Sam had sent her off to buy for the pack for the week. He’d taken to calling her ‘Ms. Midget-on-a-mission’ when he’d seen her determinedly marching down the aisle-ways, unwilling to spend a minute more than necessary in the rush-hour after-work congestion of a grocery store. The memory reminded her to pick up the ingredients for his favorite Oreo Truffle cookies in thanks for his kindness in towing her truck back to Jacob’s garage last night so Jacob could look it over after his patrol this morning.

But things had been going far too easily for Bella in regards to shopping. Something _always_ went wrong for her, whether it be the milk jug she picked out mysteriously springing a leak and leaving her with embarrassing wet patches on her clothing when she tried to put it in the cart, or even worse, the time she had pulled a bulk-sized bag of rice off the shelf only for some brat of a kid to have decided that  _this_ particular bag would be the perfect place to test his new pocket-knife, leaving her to pick rice out of incredibly personal places for the next twenty-four hours. She’d cussed a blue streak wide enough that Charlie, who had been on the next isle over, had actually poked his head around the corner and gaped at her. She’d later blamed every word that came out of her that day on Quill despite his innocence in the matter, though she was pretty sure her dad knew she’d been lying…she’d caught him trying to hide a grin in his mustache with every stutter that left her mouth. Quill had been terribly amused when he’d heard of the unleashing of her potty-mouth and proceeded to teach the furiously-blushing and horribly embarrassed girl even more.

It was when she turned down the aisle for the baker’s chocolate that she discovered just what new idiocy luck decided to spring on her _this time_ with the complete absence of the needed chocolate for Jared’s cookies. Bella grumbled, before pulling out her phone and looking up the next closest grocery store. She was to be disappointed when it appeared the store was on the other side of town, and she rolled her eyes upward in disgust, only to see that her first impression had been incorrect. The store had not been sold out completely. The family size was still available…and on the very topmost shelf.

Bella had never really concerned herself over her short stature in the past, simply shrugged off the fact that nearly all of her closest friends towered head and shoulders over her. Now, she glared up at the shelf that stood so far above her head that she could not have reached it even on her toes.

_Really...? You can’t be freaking serious…_

She couldn’t understand why anyone would stock it there, and not on a lower, far more accessible shelf. She could not possibly be the only vertically challenged shopper who frequented this location. But, she supposed it could have been worse. She might have slipped in a broken tub of yogurt and cracked her head on the cooling unit of the display case on her way down.

A quick peek around showed no one in sight.

Bella sighed and shrugged to herself before bowing to the inevitable...then reached up and carefully began her assent. Oh, she wasn’t happy about being reduced to climbing shelves like a child, but she needed that damned chocolate. Those cookies always made Jared smile, and he’d been a bit stressed lately, ever since it looked like his younger brother might soon be joining the pack.

She was one last shelf from her objective when luck decided it wasn’t quite done with her for the day. Her foot slipped on a package of powdered sugar, and all she had time for was a hastily yelped _“CRAP!”_ before she lost her grip along with her balance and whatever might have remained of her dignity as she fell backwards.

She clenched her eyes shut and forced herself to remain loose-limbed from long-standing practice in falling from high places, waiting for the painful landing that would most likely leave her on her way to the emergency room yet again, with either a broken limb, a concussion, or possibly even both.

She yelped when her decent was abruptly cut short as she tumbled into an unexpected obstacle. The high temperature of the thickly muscled male body she bounced up against before landing registered quickly and Bella breathed a sigh of relief, her inner arm curling up along the sculpted curve of a  heavy shoulder as if to reassure herself that she was no longer falling.

_Oh thank God. Jacob._

Bella smiled widely, her eyes opening as she started to thank the perpetual savior who always appeared out of thin air and-

Bella swallowed a gasp as she took in the identity of her rescuer. Amusement curled the corners of the lush lower lip, and she again felt that uncomfortable thrill of awareness in her body. His hair was pulled back into an old-fashioned queue, and it was only after she’d opened her eyes that she felt the silky slide of it along the backs of her fingers as she unconsciously tensed them against the back of his corded neck. Under the gleaming silver of his shirt, the nearly hypnotic coiling of powerful muscle almost left her tongue-tied as and Bella found herself securely cradled in the arms of the one wolf Jacob seemed to actively loathe.

Paul snorted at the shell-shocked expression on her flushed face before he shifted and allowed her legs to spill off of his arm as he placed her back onto her feet.

She still wasn’t certain why he’d been nice to her the night before, but she’d been pretty sure it would be a onetime deal, ending just as soon as he’d sobered up and walked out the front door. She had no idea why he was here now, but despite the way that every inch of her body that had even so much as brushed up against his prickled with hot chills, she was desperately thankful he was.

_He’d just saved her from snapping her foolishly impatient neck._

Paul tilted his head as he gazed down at her from behind the seemingly omnipresent silver shades **.** Then, as if he’s reached some kind of conclusion, he slowly reached up and plucked the chocolate up off the top shelf and gently shoved it into her hands.

That was roughly the time when the small commotion she’d caused with her fall finally resulted in the attention of a pair of clerks. Bella was still blinking up at the towering Were as the middle-aged woman hurried towards the girl who she feared had actually hit the hard floor and possibly concussed herself if she were to go by the look on her face. She didn’t look at the huge male as she made her way towards the little brunette, though she did take care to skirt him as if unsettled by him. He, in turn, took little notice of either clerk till the younger, a young man only a handful of years older than his Alpha’s sister, followed the older woman down the aisle. The boy had apparently blinded himself to all but the striking girl being fussed over by the woman, a smile beginning to cross his face that reminded her disturbingly of Mike Newton and inwardly Bella face-palmed in dismay.

Paul barely moved, but it was just enough to force the other male to course-correct around him. He looked up at the much taller male as if suddenly realizing he was there, then paled significantly at the sight of the strange smile that slowly crossed the other’s face…cold, taunting, and strangely feral. He couldn’t see the eyes through the reflective shades, but he could feel them and a part of the clerk just wanted to run away.

As it was, he was even more careful to ease around unnerving male than even the woman had been.

Bella never saw the entire exchange, just the suddenly wary look on the slim blonde’s face. Then she blushed when Paul turned, amusement once more curving his lips into something non-threatening, a dimple flickering into his cheek momentarily as he moved away from the small group of humans, hefting a box branded with the Kinko’s logo and what looked like a wolf-sized lunch bag that answered the unanswered question as to his presence.

The boy stood there watching as the woman patted Bella’s shoulder, assuring herself that the girl was whole and unharmed. A small, detached part of Bella wondered if she should convince the woman that she had no intention of pressing charges, then berated herself for the uncharitable thought, because the woman was nothing but kind to her as she insisted on checking Bella’s eyes to make certain that the feared concussion was absent.

After finding out their names, Holly and James respectively, Bella finally managed to convince the two that she was perfectly fine and didn’t need medical treatment. She neglected to mention that she was perfectly hale because of the quick reflexes of a werewolf who’d luckily been shopping for his lunch in the same place she’d done her fail impression of a spider-monkey.

Unfortunately, by the time the workers returned their duties, Bella realized that he was gone… _and she’d completely failed to thank him._

 


	5. Bring Me Down - Puddle of Mudd

Bella balanced on her toes for a better view as she crossed her eyes at the sleep mussed girl behind the glass and exhaled a huge gusty sigh, her cheeks puffing outward comically with the gesture. _Something that apparently failed to impress her reflection…_

Rolling her eyes at her own ridiculousness, she broke out into a tuneless hum and moved towards the shower, absently turning the water on while reaching for her toothbrush. Sparing one last glance at the rat’s nest her hair had become, she scowled faintly and spit the tooth paste in to the sink before tossing her pajamas in the hamper.

It was only after she had jumped in the shower and immersed herself in the freezing spray that she realized coffee might have been a good idea after all. In all honesty, her memory was crap first thing in the morning. Squawking with dismay and slipping on the wet tile in her attempts to escape the frigid wakeup call after having forgotten to flip the hot water dial. It was only the towel rack which kept her from a nice morning trip to the E.R. It had been long enough since her last accident she thought they might have even have reassigned her room and frankly she kinda liked that idea.

Turning the dials to a more tolerable temperature, she began running through her mental checklist while waiting for the water, stepping back under the spray only when steam began to curl around the curtain. Using a generous amount of the two-in-one natural, non-scented shampoo, she let it sit while soaping up her loofa. While Bella may have mourned the loss of her beloved scented bath products, she had made the decision to give up her favorite brands after observing the Pack’s eyes watering one too many times around a heavily perfumed woman. According to Seth, the smell of a woman just after she had visited the perfume counters in Macy’s was actually almost as bad as a newborn vamp. They got progressively more malodourous as their first year passed, something Sam had hypothesized as being related to the fact that their bodies slowly rotted and decomposed into their final granite-esque forms.

_Just thinking about that made her stomach curl up in discomfort. But despite the fact that she knew that Vampires were, technically, mentally-intact zombies, she would always love Alice, Emmett, and oddly enough, even Jasper._

Peering around the shower curtain to check the time, she groaned in dismay when she realized she was running late. Earlier this morning, at oh fuck-o’clock am, her partner in crime had called her and asked to meet at her house instead of his own. Unfortunately, Jacob occasionally got fussy when his daily schedule was thrown off, and after the odd almost-interrogation yesterday asking her about his pack-mate’s conduct while in her company the previous night, she didn’t want to add fuel to his recent rash of drama-queen fire. She quickly washed her face and rinsed off before grabbing her towel. Grumbling to herself while rushing into her clothes, she was wrestling with a knot in her hair when the doorbell rang. Cursing at Jacob’s timing, she quickly wrangled her hair in to a pony tail before rushing to answer the door.

Bella was hopping on one leg towards the door while trying to shove her other foot in to her shoe when Jacob rang the doorbell again and startled her into tripping over the rug. A third ring was echoing through the house by the time she got herself untangled. Rolling her eyes in exasperation she wrenched open the door and frowned at him as he grinned mischievously. She knew damned well that he must have heard her flailing about on her way to the door and that that last ring had simply been to antagonize her. She narrowed her eyes at him as he continued to display a complete lack of remorse, a part of her even more annoyed by the fact that he seemed utterly un-intimidated by her hostility. Then she smiled. “You know, you’re lucky today is a Sunday. Dad isn’t home.”

Jacob eyed her warily, her smile throwing him offjust a little. “Your point being?”’

“Because he shoots after the second ring.” She said, prancing off toward her truck and leaving him behind.

Jacob hesitated for a moment, then scoffed and hurried after her to claim the driver’s seat. “Oh Please, Charlie loves me and you know it!”

>:}{:<

Bella waited for Jacob to finish filling up the gas tank, fingers dancing impatiently upon the dash board. The sun was high over head and while the open windows provided some measure of relief from the sweltering heat when the truck was in motion, the gas station blocked any breeze from flowing through the vehicle. Their current lack of success in locating the parts for her baby was causing her to become increasingly frustrated and traveling with a high-temperature Were was only exacerbating the situation.

It was getting close to lunch time and Bella had been listening to Jacob’s stomach growl for the last 10 miles. Of course, he was bound and determined to find Bess’s cooling system transplant before turning back to town to eat, even though she was pretty sure the growling was becoming more menacing than any sound he could produce in wolf form.

The groaning on the driver’s side door announced Jacob’s return and she handed him the list of potential auto part suppliers, the top three shops already scratched off.  The shop owner’s had been apologetic but in this heat wave and with Bess’s age bracket pickings were slim. Jacob skimmed through the list for a moment before once more being interrupted by the sound of his demanding stomach.

Eyeing Bella’s heat-flushed face, Jacob decided to compromise on his previous come hell or high water plan. “One more stop and then we call it for the morning and start again after lunch?”

Bella glanced at the location he’d indicated on their list of possibilities before upping the ante. “ _If_ we find it, then how about after I buy our lunch, we go see the new Avengers movie?”

His eyes lit up with excitement for a moment, until he remembered the state of his nearly empty wallet. He’d had just enough to buy them drinks for their road-trip and no more, till tomorrow when he got paid for a repair-job he’d done for a neighbor. Sadly, he was forced to shake his head no. “Maybe we can go next week? I’m kinda broke till tomorrow.”

She managed a straight face. “Then I guess you won’t argue with me when I call it fair trade for fixing my truck?”

He scowled at her, only half-playfully. Some habitually suppressed part of him, the oft-denied misogynist present in even the most intelligent of males, threatened to begin a nasty sulk in its tiny corner of his mind as she once again shoved him firmly, if unknowingly, into the friend-zone. Boyfriend-status would have allowed him to postpone the movie till he could pay for it. “I agreed to let you pay for lunch. No one said anything about you paying for the whole day. You know how badly I want to see that movie so this is blackmail!”

A shapely brow slid upward in confusion. _He was growing increasingly irritable over her paying for things lately, though she had no clue why_. “I thought it would be fair, considering how much I would have paid if I had taken Bess to a commercial garage.”

Jacob grunted, then smiled in what almost looked like reluctant acceptance. “You’re right, it’s a good idea.”

Grinning at him slyly, she fastened her seat belt, deciding that his snipping didn’t really matter at the moment. “At least this way I don’t have to bribe the Twins to keep them in line if I have to drag them to go see it with me. Last time I brought them to the movies, they managed to start a popcorn fight with half the audience that got all of us ejected from the building.”

Jacob’s laughter filled the cab of the truck as he eased back on to the road. He was laughing even harder when, thirty minutes later, Bella effusively thanked the manager of the auto-parts store before hopping up and down like sugar-high toddler and throwing her arms across the hood of her truck as if attempting to _hug_ it. Then, after a short but intense debate over the pros and cons of hamburgers over an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, a debate Bella won when she finally reminded Jacob that no pack member was welcome there anymore after nearly the entire pack had descended upon it like a plague of locusts, Ruby Tuesday’s was decided upon. The low lighting and quiet atmosphere was kind on a wolf’s sensitive eyes and ears, and soon Jacob found himself relaxing again in the booth they were seated in.

Neither noticed when the heat-wave finally gave them a temporary reprieve as dark clouds slowly ambled their way across the sky. The young man cheerfully devoured his way through four double-bacon cheeseburgers with their accompanying sides of either fries or onion rings, and was just tucking into his second piece of chocolate cake when the sky opened up and poured wonderfully cool rain over the sun-baked ground. Bella jumped as lightening cracked across the clouds overhead, before smiling widely at her companion.

Jacob’s phone vibrated against his thigh, startling him momentarily, before he pulled it out of his pocket. His face pulled into an irritated grimace as he noted the name on the caller i.d., before flipping it open and answering. “What’s up, Sam?”

“We have a problem,” came the scared voice of Kim, Jared Cameron’s imprint.

Jacob straightened in his seat, his face now serious. “What’s wrong?”

The growl of a pissed off shifter echoed through the receiver and he winced at the loud bang caused when Sam’s phone was apparently dropped and hit the hardwood floor as the sounds of stumbling feet reached him from where he could only guess she had stumbled back from the writhing mass of bodies. The tone of the growl was unfamiliar and for a moment Jacob feared the possibility of yet another unplanned-upon pack-mate.

 ** _“Get him outside!”_** Sam’s voice boomed in the background, the command clear in the deep tone. Mocking laughter followed and then Jacob heard something that utterly stunned him.

 _“Get **off** me, Sam! I’m going to kill that stupid fucker if it’s the last thing I do!”_ Jared’s voice had  lowered and distorted into a beastial rasp, filled with a malice no one had dreamed he possessed **[** was echoing in the room, followed by a loud slam as what sounded like a the door bounced off a wall in the pack’s haste to contain the situation.“ _C’mere, Saul,”_ the shifter hissed, an eerie and sickeningly anticipatory quality edging through his tone, “ _you little piece of shit! You better pray they both forgive you, or I’m gonna reach down your throat, rip out your tongue and feed it to you!”_

“Jacob!” Kim’s voice trembled as she tried to make herself heard over the cacophony. Jared’s voice abruptly cut off as Embry, Sam, and Quill apparently managed to get the enraged wolf out the door. “Jared’s little brother said some things…about me and-” She abruptly cut off, before taking a deep breath to steady herself. “If Jared gets loose...Saul isn’t close enough to phasing yet! Sam needs you here!”

Jacob was already on his feet and moving towards the door when he remembered his lunch-mate and attempted to end the conversation quickly. “I’ll be right there! Just…sit tight, and try to calm down, honey. It’ll be ok, I promise.”

Bella’s worried eyes watched him as he shut the cell phone and hurried towards the door. She’d only been able to make out roughly half of the conversation from Kim’s end, so Jacob filled in a few of the gaps. “Saul has always played a little fast and loose about what comes out of his mouth, especially when he is trying to bait Jared. I’m sure that everything will blow over, but I need to go home for a couple hours. Will you be alright until I get back?”

Bella looked a bit skeptical, and not just because of the reminder that she was being actively hunted by a vamp who was three mango’s shy of a fruit basket. “I can just drive home to pick up our dinner and we can see the movie another day?”

Jacob scoffed. “It’ll be fine! I promise! Tell you what, you go ahead and buy the tickets and I will be there around 2:30.”

Bella’s brows furrowed together, but not knowing what else to do, she agreed. “Well, just….be careful, okay?”

Jacob smiled at her and dropped a kiss on her head in passing as he jogged off into the trees, already pulling his shirt over his head as he disappeared into the downpour.

>}:{<

 

Two hours later, Bella strode through the mall on her way to the indoor theater after having spent time in the book store. She was now even more convinced that she should have simply insisted upon going home instead of waiting, but since she had promised Jacob she would wait, she kept her word, using the spare time to pour over books on vintage trucks. Absent fingers wound her hair up off her neck, before shoving a spare pencil through it to hold it there. She’d finally decided that since Red Bess had served her time, she deserved a full overhaul and not just the immediately necessary parts. She had no interest in a hotrod truck, but she felt sure Charlie would agree with some of her idea, being the gearhead that he and every male Black under the sun were. And her truck damn well deserved a new paintjob!

There were pictures here and there of trucks with overbuilt engines and clear fiberglass hoods, but Bess was a Lady, and no true lady got a boob job that severe and proceeded to show off her goods in such a manner. Bella was willing to consider the lovely candy-apple shade she had seen in a heavy book of truck art, and piled it atop a few others that listed parts needed to make a full overhaul on a 1953 Chevy truck.

She debated on a few other options, including a sound-system, and ultimately decided that her boycott on music was equally as ridiculous as that imaginary sucking beast in her chest. Really? Was she twelve? Sure, the break-up had hurt like hell. Edward had been handsome and unobtainable and completely enthralled with her. That he had left her behind in the rainy dirt like so much trash had been a blow to her esteem. Who wouldn’t be hurt to be told that they were simply a distraction that had burnt out?

She snorted at herself, before mentally head-slapping herself as well. Edward had never approved of her truck, and this was all _about_ her truck.

She was just replacing the books she’d decided against, when she happened to check the time. She groaned at her own horrible lack of awareness as the clock once more sent her scurrying along to where she was supposed to be with a bag full of books that she’d just bought. She had intended to buy the tickets before the rush hit to buy out the new release and she hurried _– her converse high-tops made a startlingly high pitched shriek as she took a corner faster than she’d intended and bit her lip to stifle the childish giggle because wouldn’t Alice have snickered right along with her?_ – just barely making it before the first influx of movie watchers.

After stowing her purchases in the very beast she had bought them for, she walked into the concession area. Making sure that if she bought a soda now, the whole ‘free refill’ deal would still be in effect even if her movie wasn’t scheduled to begin for another hour yet, she made her way towards the theater wing where her movie was set to play. She was just about to plant her butt on the bench against the wall, when the movie theater just across the hall let out, and dozens of people begun to spill out the door towards the nearest exit.

“Bella?”

Bella’s eye shot wide in dismay and she just about choked on her strawas one of those people worked their way toward her through the crowd. Shaggy blond hair peeked occasionally over the top of people moving in the opposite direction. And Bella bolted on instinct.

_Oh crapitty crap!_

After her dramatic departure on Friday with Paul, she just knew that she was likely already a major source of school-gossip. She didn’t want to wait around for Mike to catch up with her and attempt to cover up his jealousy with questions about her ‘friend’ and then engage in his usual rambling attempt to ask her out. Maybe it wasn’t fair, but there was nothing about him that attracted her. He was too bland, too short, too soft… _too Joe Normal!_

She was under no delusions as to her own looks, however, she just happened to be some average high-school girl who had some freaky _ability to br_ ing unwanted attention to herself.

The boy she was trying to avoid called out to her again, and she hurried away, attempting to duck behind the crowd, and eventually squirming between a guy with more tattoos than bare skin, and a woman who might actually be almost as tall as Brady. Though to be fair, Brady wasn’t much taller than her father. She had to do a tricky maneuver that involved twisting her hips almost completely vertical in order to avoid crashing into either of them, but she managed, and hurried out the exit before Mike could catch up to her. She was desperately hoping that he would give up and leave her alone, but her hopes were shot down when she heard her name even closer than before. 

She turned and desperately searched for the closest women’s restroom only to be disappointed. It was on the other side of the lobby, and Mike’s voice wasonly drawing closer; he’d see her well before she got there. She turned, looking somewhat like a crazy woman as she searched the wall behind her before sighing in resignation and running towards the door roughly fifteen feet to her right.

Mike Newton’s voice preceded him as he called out to the girl he thought he’d seen. He jumped upwards once or twice to get a peek over the moving bodies. He only managed to catch glimpses of a girl in a red tank top and a pair of long cargo shorts she’d most likely inherited from one of those behemoth natives she tended to hang with lately as she hurried through the crowd in the opposite direction towards the heavy doors that lead to the mall’s main lobby. He was now one hundred percent sure it was Bella Swan and that she must not have heard him, so he hurried after the petite girl, eyes momentarily glazed over and glued on the curve of a pair of gorgeously rounded hips before they shifted in a way that made him want to bite his tongue as their owner slid sideways around a taller woman and out of sight.

The sight of her on that big black motorcycle with the hugely-scary guy that had picked her up last Friday had made Mike rethink a few things. Like watching as the biker seemingly debated on whether or not to simply bend Bella forward over the front of his bike and do … _things…_ to the much smaller girl. The proximity of so many others would have made it all the sweeter because while his face may have said ‘ _I’d be happy to rip out your lungs through your ribs on my way towards your spleen’,_ his whole body had read pure _‘fuck me’_ and every bit of the intensity in the sentiment was aimed at Bella _._

_Bella, as usual, was oblivious._

He was almost certain he’d imagined the whole thing five minutes later when they had disappeared round the bend. She must have been utterly terrified of him for some reason, because when he’d blown her hair out of his face she’d gone still like she was afraid he’d kill her. Poor Bella…she was terribly modest and that much contact must have been unnerving.

When Mike had first met Bella, he and his male friends had thought she was stuck up…that, or frigid, because she hardly ever said more than five words at a time to anyone. Then Angela, their resident brain and sweetheart of a beanpole had set about making friends with the new girl and discovered that she was simply shy and feeling displaced. Sadly, the first guy to make a move on her ( _well, the only one she actually took seriously, unfortunately_ ), was Creeper-Cullen. Mike wished he had pressed his case harder in the beginning, because from what he understood, and the little Angela would repeat (‘cause she was notoriously closemouthed and protective of Bella), Edward freakin’ Cullen had coldly dumped the girl that had more than half of the male population thinking with something a bit more south, whether they admitted to it or not.

_He was still pretty sure that Chief Swan’s baby girl had no clue about just how she attracted the male species like bees to honey…_

Mike blinked as he emerged from the heavy double doors into the lobby…and there was no Bella. Where the heck-

He heard the door slam shut behind him and turn just in time to see the men’s room door click into the jam. Hunh….it was horribly unlikely, but…Mike shrugged and stepped towards the door.

The room was absurdly clean for a public men’s restroom, though a little more open than he’d like. The long rows of urinals in steel-walled stalls with no doors would make searching out Bella much easier. But then three stall later he wished he’d never bothered.

He’d heard the sounds of someone using a urinal, and for some reason, he’d stupidly stepped over to ask if the other male had heard someone come in instead of looking for himself. He had no idea what the hell he had been thinking to actually touch him on the shoulder in his attempt to get his attention. The man standing in front of the porcelain was far taller and even more massively muscled than he’d looked on the back of that motorcycle three days ago, and Mike once again all but recoiled at the look on his face when he turned to see who had dared to touch him after he’d decisively tuned out the higher, half-broken pitch of the younger male’s voice. The hand that had looked casually braced atop the wall slowly clenched and Mike flinched as the steel actually gave under his fingers. The vicious curl to the corners of his upper lip told the blonde that he’d not only noticed, but that his fear amused him.

“Who?” Mike shivered at the tone of the voice, deep and rough and unnerving as hell.

“Bella Swan. You see her come in?” Yeah, now that he thought on it, it did seem kinda stupid to be looking for her here of all places.

The other male slowly lifted a brow as Mike continued to inflict his presence where it was so painfully obvious it wasn’t wanted and blatantly tilted his chin at his surroundings. “Last time I checked, this was the men’s…” He paused for a second, his brow lifting further as the smile shifted into a cruelly predatory smirk that somehow reminded Mike of a hungry animal… _he could almost feel those hidden eyes rake over him_ , “and little boy’s room. Besides, do I really look like her fucking keeper?”

Mike heard what sounded like the groan of warping metal and looked up at the hand that had further tightened atop the wall, before he decided it was probably best he left. Like right the hell now. He nodded at the giant then hurriedly vacated the premises, hoping like hell he _never_ saw Gigantor again.

The door slammed shut…and the Were snorted quietly. His head tilted slightly as he glanced downward into bright, apprehensive cinnamon eyes, his blue-black hair shimmering even in the faint light from the overheads as he twisted sideways to give her a better view of the now-empty room. “You know it probably would have been easier to just let me beat his ass down, right?”

Bella had been lucky as crap that she’d found him in an accommodating mood, though she was pretty sure that that was due to the fact that he was drunk again…a state he seemed to favor. Not that she minded if it kept him tractable and willing to accommodate her desire to hide without leaving Mike ready for a hospital bed. She’d only had seconds in the room before she’d stumbled across Paul as he’d been washing his hands at the sink. He’d looked up just as she’d come stumbling around the corner, though she was pretty aware she must have sounded like a whole herd of elephants to him. Both brows had lifted in silent question, because it was clearly a men’s restroom.

Her tongue had chosen that particular moment to betray her by committing suicide spectacularly at the sight of him, because she was always stunned at just how beautiful he truly was. She felt her heart thump hard against her ribs, because that frightening reaction she’d had to him the first time she met him seemed to decide now would be a good time to remind her that he was truly walking, breathing sex. It seemed to seep out of him like something tangible, and she tried not to squirm under his gaze as she remembered the mini-orgasm he’d oh-so-effortlessly given her just seconds after she’d climbed on his bike in her attempts to get them both home safely. She hoped to god that he hadn’t noticed just how flushed she was, because a part of her was truly concerned over the violence of her reaction to him.

Then she’d heard Mike calling her name again, and all thoughts other than escape were driven away. For just a second, the strangest look had crossed Paul’s face before it had pulled into a brutal sneer that had actually made her want to cower her way back out the door before she reminded herself that _oh, thank you God_ , it wasn’t aimed at her. She could practically see the aggression shivering across his golden skin before he’d taken a purposeful step towards the door. That feral anticipation didn’t bode well for Mike, no matter how annoying she found him he didn’t deserve to go home in pieces, so she’d dared to reach out and grab Paul’s hand, shaking her head frantically. She was surprised when he let her pull him to a stop, and for one terrible moment, she was afraid he’d turn on her when all that burgeoning violence seemingly just faded away. His expression mellowed back into the amiable drunkenness that left him far more willing to play nicely with others…even Mike.

The door began to open and Bella’s beseeching gaze focused on the huge Were.

He’d stood there for a moment, seemingly contemplating that small pleading face as her fight or flight response readied itself to kick-start in relation to the annoying blonde. Then the corner of his mouth kicked up with a touch of humor and Bella sighed in relief before he quickly tugged her forward by the hand that still held him tethered.

Her breathing hitched when he dipped smoothly at the waist, his free hand sliding up the back of her right thigh, though it was so quick that she wasn’t sure if it had been purposeful or practical as he scooped her up in passing. His thick forearm wrapped across both thighs and up under her butt to brace her as he freed his other hand to pull her leg up against his hip, the other following instinctively so that both legs were tightly pressed against his hips as he pulled his split tail jacket free to drape around her calves and feet, completely blocking her from the view of anyone who may come up behind them.

His torso pressed against her own caused her heart to stutter for a moment in shock and a strange needy hunger, intensely and painfully aware of every point of contact from the arm pressed against her ass to the feel of those abs that flexed along her inner thighs like precision-jointed steel-plating and everything along the way up her own stomach and chest where it pressed flat against his own as he moved them backwards into the steel alcove of a urinal. Her hand fisted tightly into the soft knit of the snug long sleeved black t-shirt, before she deliberately forced herself to ignore how haywire he drove every one of her tactile senses, because he was helping her hide…just like he’d helped her yesterday for no other reason than that he was in the right place at the right time.

_She’d damned well just do herself the favor of ignoring the way his smooth, swaying stride brushed his body along hers in ways that made her want to lock her legs around his waist and fist both hands into all that shiny black hair and forget about Mike freaking Newton. After all, Jacob had more than once told her about just how badly this Were reacted to people when they attempted to act on an attraction to him. Bella liked her arms attached to her shoulders, thank you oh so very much._

Mike had appeared behind Paul scant seconds after Bella had thought to reach back and _very slowly_ tip her sprite into the urinal behind her in an attempt to simulate the obvious. Thankfully, the other boy had bought it, but even she never thought he’d be simple enough to actually touch another male in the bathroom as he was supposedly taking a leak, especially one that could give off pure _‘back-the-fuck-off’_ like Paul did.

Now…she felt a tiny bit awkward, clinging to him as she was.

“Well, thankfully none of the ice spilled out,” she offered gamely, her sense of humor attempting to bridge the silence with anything at all. “That might have been a bit hard to explain?”

A low, surprised bark of laughter escaped Paul, bringing out his dimples fleetingly… _and oh sweet baby Jesus she wished he’d stop doing that! Those things were freakishly distracting!_

She was just distracted enough that she nearly missed it when big hands settled against her hips and gently detached her from his body, waiting just long enough to allow her to get her feet under her before setting her lose. She blinked at him for a moment, before looking up.

He was leaning with his back against the wall when she discovered the damage done to the steel wall section above her head. She reached up and gingerly ran her fingers along the wide grooving where his long fingers had imbedded themselves into the metal, before looking up at him. He seemed to be waiting for something, his head canted to the side as if he were trying to figure out what made the little human girl tick. _As if Bella Swan could ever be some great mystery,_ came the self-deprecating thought.  “I don’t like it when people touch me,” he stated with a shrug in that impossibly beguiling tone that still insisted on tripping down her spine in waves of heat and chill.

He was moving towards the door, when she registered what he had said…and what he had meant by it. He nodded at her in passing, before he disappeared silently from the room, the door clicking shut one more behind him. She felt a wave of shamed horror steal over her as she thought of all the times he had had to touch her because she had been too clumsy, too cowardly, and ultimately entirely too human to protect herself. She had been focused on how it felt to have him so close to her, and only remembered after the fact that he was not the type to take kindly to such a thing. She, of all people, knew what it was like to have someone force their unwanted attentions upon them, as evidenced by what had just happened here not more than five minutes ago. She promised herself that from now on she would look more carefully before she leapt because she would never want someone to impose on her the way she had if she were truly a touchaphobe like Paul had just implied he was. Sure, he had grabbed her ass and cuddled up to her for half the night, but really! He had been drunk! She wouldn’t hold it against him. She would also keep his admission to herself out of respect and gratitude, and do her best to abide by his need for distance.

She was still berating herself over her actions when she finally made her way back into the main part of the theater to meet up with Jacob.

He was leaning against the wall that lead to the correct walkway for their movie, a smile huge smile splayed across his face and getting wider the closer she got. _Until she was within smelling distance, that was._

Suddenly, his face screwed up into a nasty scowl. He lurched up off the wall and stalked towards her as if she had just broken some unspoken code of friendship. She hadn’t seen that kind of expression on his face since the day he had heard that his sister Rebekah wasn’t planning to return to the res, leaving him in sole custody of his diabetic father. His hand reached out and curled around her bicep, pulling her closer as he bent to get a better grasp of the scent wafting from her. He inhaled, before standing at his full height as if to intimidate her into compliance, his cheeks flush with temper. _“Why the hell do you smell like Paul?!”_

Bella blinked. _What in the frilly pink heck was **his** problem? _ She must have taken too long in answering, because he gave her the tiniest of shakes, as if to prompt her to answer him. That shake must have tumbled lose her deeply buried temper, because Bella stepped towards him, all five feet three of her scowling blackly as close to his face as she could reach just before she hauled back and drove her heel into the toe of his sneaker, grinding down for good measure. His eyes widened in shock and he let go of her, though she was rather disgusted with the theory that he’d probably been more surprised than pained by her assault of his Goliath-sized foot. “I smell like Paul because Paul just saved my ass from Mike! And what the _hell_ is _your_ problem?”

Jacob’s brows snapped together at her unexpected outburst. She had never been around Paulbefore, for obvious reasons. The guy was, bar none, the biggest asshole Jacob had ever met. He got under the younger shifter’s skin like no other, making him want to take over so he could put the arrogant bastard-shifter in his place. Another part of him just wanted to keep his best friend well away from the prick, because the last girl who had approached him, no matter that she’d had sex-on-the-brain, had wound up attempting to move across state lines. He just could not imagine a world where _Paul_ of all people would have done anything to help anyone without having been ordered to.

Then his ugly suspicion from yesterday about the other shifter’s sudden turn into lechery reared its ugly head…

“And exactly _how_ did Paul help you?”

Bella scowled even harder, because while she may not have known exactly what the hell had crawled up Jacob’s ass in the last few hours, she wasn’t about to let him treat someone who had only ever helped her with so much disregard. “He hid me from Mike when Mike tried to follow me out of the theater. That was _all_ he did,” she emphasized, attempting to head off his less than flattering assumptions.

“Bells, you do not seem to get this, and I _know_ we’ve had this discussion before. Paul Lahotie has been a trouble maker for as long as anyone can remember. He was picking fights from the time he was thirteen years old, and they have only gotten uglier as he gets older. I’m afraid that by now, he doesn’t know how to stop! So ok, he didn’t” he shuddered at the thought, but forced it out anyway, “ _touch you_ , but I’m still afraid he might forget that you are human and hurt you. You just can’t hang around him like he was a normal person!”

Bella gritted her teeth at his condescension. What, did he think she was some child he needed to warn off?! She may have been short, but she wasn’t brainless. She knew damned well that Paul was dangerous; anyone with eyes could see that. “Okay, Jacob. I hear you. I hear that you think Paul is pretty much a rabid dog that you would rather see put down.”

Jacob sputtered slightly at the ridiculous assertion, though it was uncomfortably close to a few of his more recent fantasies.

“Now you hear me. I have listened to you talk down about someone who I had never met, and I believed you told me it was better that way. I listened when you said he hates everyone, so it was better to just stand clear. But hate or not, this makes the third time he has helped me, asked for nothing in return, and left not even a scratch on me. So you need to back off.”

Now, Jacob was in a quandary. On one hand he knew that time would tell, and sooner rather than later, about Paul’s true nature. But on the other hand, if he didn’t step carefully about the sudden land-mine Bella had just laid out, then she just might run off and attempt to befriend the bastard out of pure spite. And three times? When was the third? He knew he was gonna have to ask Sam if he had heard anything, because if Bella had encountered Paul more than once outside of ordered visits, then there was a problem because it exponentially  increased the likelihood that Paul would grow violent towards Bella. But for now…? He bit his lip, watching as Bella turned after having made her point, and strode into the theater.

Sadly, it didn’t take longer than the opening credits for Jacob to begin pleading his case once more. By the time the movie had truly gotten underway, the people on both sides of the duo were glaring at them and hissing at them to be quiet. Twenty minutes later, after Bella had once more attempted the impossible try and shut him up, there was a group of people glaring at them three deep into the surrounding seats on every side. She was beginning to feel far more uncomfortable than angry, embarrassed over being chastised like a naughty little girl who couldn’t see reason.

And then finally, she’d had enough. She stood up and forcefully shoved the popcorn bucket into his lap as she reached for her keys, hissing at him as quietly. “That is enough! I’m sorry you can’t understand this, but I am not going to change my mind. I am going home, where I will finish making dinner, and hopefully, by the time I serve it, you will have pulled your head out of your ass and remembered that I am your friend, and not your ‘responsibility’!”

She turned to face the people who were staring at the two of them, her face flushing in the darkened theater. “I’m terribly sorry about ruining the movie for you. I hope the rest of it will be enjoyable at least.”

Jacob watched as his best friend turned away from him and left him sitting by himself, wondering what, exactly, he had done wrong.


	6. Fire Starter - Prodigy

_The girl stood in the kitchen, her lip curled into a frustrated snarl as she violently wielded her kitchen-scrubby against the stubborn stickiness that insisted on adhering to the bottom of her favorite cake-pan. She wasn’t typically the type to hold onto anger. Sunday afternoon, however, was still an absolute nightmare…_

Bella was really _not_ the confrontational type. She could still count on her fingers the number of fights she’d been involved in since she’d been old enough to not count them as toddler-tantrums, and that included the dumb-assed attempt involving her father just before she’d run off with the Cullen family to, ironically, avoid a confrontation with a Vampire intent on making her into the protein-drink of champions.

She didn’t really like the guilty feeling she got in the pit of her stomach any time she felt like she’d hurt someone’s feelings, either accidentally or during an argument. It was something she’d inherited from both sides of her family. Seriously, her mother had actually _left town_ with her while her father was at work to keep from having to have any kind of confrontation over her unhappiness with her own life. The man in question had only kicked up any kind of fuss when Renee attempted to claim sole custody of Bella.

She had done her best to keep her rarely sparked temper under wraps after leaving the theater, walking with a deceptively calm gait straight to Bes and clambering into the driver’s seat, shutting her door with exaggerated gentleness to keep from damaging the old girl further out of her own frustration. She’d shoved her key into the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot, ranting under her breath from inside the safety of her own vehicle about stupid boys and their irritating inability to see past their own nose.

She could hardly believe that he’d actually put his hands on her and _shaken her_. Something about the action was almost as insulting as his words had been, though only _just_ almost because she did _not_ appreciate being talked down to like a she was a willful, brainless little twit who needed to be put into her proper place. There were precious few things that could set her off faster than someone thinking they could treat her differently just because her plumbing happened to be of the internal variety.

She _so_ did not need that kind of crap right now, because tomorrow promised to be decently shitty, what with her spectacularly _non­_ -low-key exit of Friday afternoon. She did not blame Paul for it, because in all honesty, he couldn’t really help just how pretty he was, nor could he help that she was _still_ somehow the favorite fodder for gossips. ‘Big hot guy on a big hot motorcycle…oooo, Bella is involved, let’s _all_ call our friends and talk about it!’

Just…ugh.

Still, even as angry as she was, part of her was starting to feel a bit guilty, too. Oh, not for yelling at Jacob and attempting to murder his toes. He deserved all of that. But she should have pulled him from the theater, told him off properly, and taken him with her. It was supposed to be their day together, and those were rare as it was. Plus…the big idiot was probably worried by now.

The rain had been coming down steadily for hours by time she had gotten dinner mostly prepared, the pitter-pattering sound further soothing Bella as she hummed absently to herself while pounding at the dough for cinnamon rolls the next morning. The pies were just about ready to pull from the oven and the potatoes and eggs for the salad were chilling in the refrigerator. Billy and her Dad were both fans of the un-salad, so she would make extra because she knew that Jacob would also pound it back like it would be stolen from him if he didn’t get it all into his stomach as soon as it hit the table.

The tiny twinge of aggravation she felt at the thought of his name had forced her to refocus on her work in an attempt to rid herself of it. Jacob was one of her best friends and she’d had no desire to hold onto a grudge, despite how stupidly he had behaved.

Granted, he did have kind of a sheltered upbringing, if she was feeling generous enough to admit it.

Jacob had grown up in a loving and warm home, despite the lack of a permanent female presence…his mother had been killed in a car accident when he was eight years old. His sisters had moved away years ago, one to college and the other to Hawaii, but his father wasn’t completely incapable of caring for himself, and now that Bella had taken over cooking for them more often than not, Billy was becoming even more self-sufficient because while his legs had very little functionality, he was finally eating the proper food to help build strength in his upper body.

Paul, from she could remember overhearing from the others, had raised himself for the most part. His mother had left him behind when he was 16, his father having done the same when he was a toddler. He’d been a very large, very angry kid, who’d grown into an even larger, and far angrier teenager. His mother had rarely been in the home, always after the next man, and sleeping off a night out in the bars when she bothered to come home at all. But from what Bella knew…no one had tried to counter the boy’s pent up ferocity when his mother had left. They had simply written off his growing aggression as the natural response of an abandoned youngster. Left to run wild, Paul had absolutely no one to bring him to heel before the habit became ingrained in him to counter his emptiness with violence. He was like an animal with two ways of bleeding off that need, and sex wasn’t appealing to him for some unknown reason. Add his shifter heritage into the mix, and it had all grown into a vicious cocktail of pain and rage that had bubbled over into something the majority of the tribe had stripped themselves of all responsibility for. The broken bones and lacerated bodies had begun piling up in his wake _long_ before the night Layla Lahote had stepped out the door, leaving her young son to fend for himself as she hunted down her latest man-fix, and had only accelerated since.

To Jacob, Paul must have seemed just short of alien, his actions and behavior completely incomprehensible. _She couldn’t imagine what would happen the day Jacob finally took over, but it wouldn’t be pretty._ He had been just a normal, sweet boy who had been dumped into the deep end of his very own gene pool and was decently managing to tread the surface. She was pretty sure he still thought that if they got rid of Victoria that he could somehow stop phasing, because in his unreasonable mind there _were_ no more vampires beyond the Veggie-Vamp Cullens. He could go back to being that normal boy who had been her very best friend from long before her mother had uprooted her from her life and Father’s arms, till sometime midday yesterday when he’d apparently lost even the good sense God gave hamsters. He’d had everything planned out, and nothing could go wrong, until it _had_ and he’d become something that should have been impossible.

Then had come Sam, and the rest of the pack into the young man’s life. To Jacob, Sam was a figure of authority like an older brother or young uncle, someone to be obeyed until Jacob earned the right to lead the pack as was his birthright. That Paul did not obey but merely humored the Alpha’s orders was anathema to the young man. He didn’t understand that Paul did not fall into the category of absolutes that the rest of the pack did…obey orders or be _forced_ to obey. Didn’t understand why Sam didn’t order him in the way he did the others, and assumed Paul got away with it simply because Paul was just an asshole who flouted authority.

So when Sam told Jacob in no uncertain terms that he would never be giving orders to Paul unless in they had first come from Sam, Jacob had assumed that Sam was playing favorites for some reason. The smirk curling the larger male’s lips every time an order was given had instigated a fierce dislike between the two. Jacob only saw that Paul got away with absolute murder, and Sam typically only gnashed his teeth and bit his tongue. It had begun with arguments that ended up with the police forcibly detaining grown men as Paul flashed that feral taunting sneer. It progressed into fist fights with men who were well used to settling any dispute with their hands and steel toed boots. Up to and including the night Paul had pulled a knife from what had appeared to be absolutely nowhere and had gotten into a knife fight before Sam’s horrified gaze.

From everything she’d heard and everyone who had spent any amount of time around him, the big Were was just shy of an out and out sociopath…who had helped her more than once simply because he had been in the right place at the right time _._ As far as she knew, _she_ was the only person he’d bothered himself to be civil to of his own volition.Jacob, Sam, Embry, and any number of the others, imprints, and Elders as well as her very own father, had warned her away from him. But there was also something about Paul, beyond his completely ridiculous beauty, which made her want to get to know the man behind the violence and contradictory touches of generosity. He was as far from anything she had ever known as her Dad was from being capable of not blushing when faced with a tampon.

The timer went off on the stove just then, and Bella pulled the oven-mitts from the counter on her way to remove the desserts before they overcooked. The lattice-top crusts of the cherry pies looked nicely golden and flakey, and she smiled to herself at the minor victory, because she had forgotten to set the timer when she had put the pies in and had had to estimate the time elapsed after she had remembered to go back and set it.

By the time she had been ready to pack everything up for the trip to the Black household, she was feeling downright zen-like.

Dinner was…well…strained was putting it kindly. Jacob was apparently holding in everything he felt that needed to be said instead of indulging in verbal Diarrhea in front of the Dads. She gave him a few brownie points for the consideration, but they were diet brownies, so they counted for very little.

_But he burned through all those accumulated points when he’d opened his mouth after dinner._

Right now, as they walked down the town on their way towards Sam’s house for the pack’s movie night, her arms crossed as her best friend continued where he’d left off just hours before. 

According to Jacob, she was being careless with her safety.

“You shouldn’t have just run off without me, Bella! I would have gone home with you while you cooked and waited quietly in the den, you didn’t need to leave the theater to get away from me. It’s not safe.” His brown eyes and the faint pout of his lower lip had hurt written all over them as he continued, “I was worried about you! How do you think I would have felt that had red-headed leech found you?”

 _Well,_ she had supposed, _that was actually a legitimate fear_. She had, for one moment, actually started to feel guilty again, when he set the nail in his own coffin. “And suppose Paul had come to his senses and come after you? He might have hurt you, and I wouldn’t have known about it until someone found you and took you to the hospital!”

Her own eyes had widened momentarily before the left one twitched. “Are you kidding me?” She was actually proud of the fact that her voice remained in a normal octave. The ridiculousness of that comment was so incredible, she was lucky she hadn’t squeaked at him.

He stepped forward, smiling, as if finally convinced she would see things his way and reached out to hug her…and she let him, too stunned by the utter crap he had just spewed to do anything else. But that lasted for all of two point seven seconds, before she lit into him with a vengeance that surprised even herself.

“How dare you? How dare you try to make me feel guilty for treating someone with a little politeness when they do me a favor? What would you have had me do?” she hissed at him through clenched teeth, “turn up my nose like a brat and ignore someone who was showing a little common courtesy?! Especially someone who reacts in just the way you keep telling me? What, do you _want_ him to have taken offense?”

Jacob sputtered a bit, before she cut him off with a well-placed elbow to the ribs, her eyes narrowed on his face. “And speaking of common courtesy…learn some!”

She opened Sam’s back door and stomped across the threshold, tossing her hoodie off onto a chair at the enormous table.

Jacob entered after her, brows drawn up into a confused scowl. Bella was not reacting at all how he was used to and he wasn’t quite sure how to respond to her like this.

_“I swear, Jacob, if you don’t drop this right now, I will find a way to kick your ass!”_

“Bella…You don’t understand,”

“Oh, I understand well enough! I understand that you are acting like a horse’s ass!”

That was when he made yet another mistake. His hand shot out and curled around her fragile wrist and pulled her to a halt.

Time seemed to come to a sudden, crashing halt as Bella was swung around by her own momentum. Her hip smacked painfully against the kitchen counter as she came to a jerking stop, just before she whirled on him. Her first instinct was not one she was proud of. Her free hand balled into a small hard fist and she pounded it as hard as she could against his thickly muscled chest, glancing off his ribs and bringing his attention back to her from whatever had drawn it into the tv room. ““Let me go, Jacob Black,” she bit out.

The muted sounds of the pack in the other room suddenly died off into a tense, waiting silence.

>{:}<

Tuesday nights in the Uley-Young household was always an interesting affair. Popcorn fights with each other, and occasionally waged against an actor or actress that had managed to fall out of favor in whatever movie that had been chosen for that night was a fairly common occurrence. Oddly enough, even Emily was prone to the practice.

At least, this had been the norm, till Paul had walked into the room. 

He’d halted just long enough to pinpoint Sam, before stating that he had the night off. Everything had gone still, even after the towering Were had quietly taken a seat on the floor with his back against the base of the sofa, leaving plenty of room for the others on the cushions. Sam was honestly not sure if he had done so because he was leaving the space for the females (he’d never displayed one inkling of gentlemanly behavior over their welfare in the past, but who knows, maybe he was evolving), or if he simply didn’t want to be bothered with yet another male trying oh so subtly to scoot away from him. It might usually make Paul laugh, but it made all the rest of them look like pussies, and God knows that they would all bitch about their pussy-hood later.

It was the same thing at the dinner table when Paul appeared for the mandatory pack meetings. No one wanted to sit next to him and only just managed to not try and switch seats to get away from him. Not that he seemed to give any kind of fucks at all. Christ, next thing Sam knew, he would have to lay orders on Paul about where he could sit at the dinner table, because he was pretty sure the bastard was getting a happy off the subtle bullying.

His appearance at movie night was even more of a rarity, the last time being long before Bella’s joining of their group, and Sam eyed him curiously as everyone else went conspicuously still, like someone had set a wild animal loose and everyone was trying to not get eaten by pretending to be one with the wallpaper.

In fact, the reaction was so intense, that Sam had to sit for a moment and actually think about the last time he’d seen Paul at the informal get together.

Part of him worried about the continued widening of the gap between the pack and its strongest pack member. Paul was still part of both pack and tribe, even if lately, he seemed to be pulling away. And yet, Sam hadn’t argued much about shift responsibilities when Paul was more and more often called away to work, which might account for the way they all acted. As Paul spent progressively less time with his pack-brothers and more time at his job, Sam could honestly say things had gotten easier for all of them without Paul’s tensely goading presence, despite Jacob’s bitching about fairness and why did _Paul_ get to have a job off the reservation when Bella and the rest of the tribe weren’t safe and they needed everyone just to catch the red-headed leech.

No one really wanted to patrol with him, no matter the fact that all were pretty certain that the previously mentioned Were could have taken down a full grown Grizzly boar in his sleep, drunk or not. And though to be honest, at first Sam had had issues about the drinking, given Paul’s mother’s history of alcoholism, he had yet to see Paul actually become _more_ violent in his inebriation…he was violent enough all on his own. That he was occasionally required to drink on the job was something Sam had needed to have explained to him, because Paul was only twenty years old. There were certain groups in the club Paul bounced for that had a fondness for trying to drink each other under the table. That the house could now add in a reliable stake in the game was just icing. The huge Were could hold his liquor like none other, even if he did get drunk quite a bit faster than the rest of the pack did. Sam had never seen him falling-down-drunk. It was like he would hit a plateau, and his drunkenness would level off for the remainder of the incident.

_Though maybe that was a good thing, because Sam was beginning to fear what would happen if Paul ever well-and-truly lost control…_

To date, the younger Were was something Sam would never want to meet in a dark ally, and many would say the same. He had a chilling lust for brutality, something that Sam had tried again and again to curb, only to meet in disaster. He’d never told Jacob, but Sam did not truly control Paul…no one did but Paul himself. He obeyed Sam out of respect and little else. Alpha-orders to be let into the other shifter’s head had met with near catastrophe. He’d been kept out since the other had been just a few short months into this world of theirs. And the rare time he had succeeded? The look on Paul’s face had been truly terrifying.

_And the thing that had prompted the intrusion?_

Sam had shown up at Paul’s job at the request of Paul’s boss, somehow placing him at the right place at the wrong time. The pack Alpha had one moment been attempting to calm the other man, a Navy SEAL by some strange chance who had decided getting drunk and harassing the bartender made for good stress relief after the end of a nasty OP, then thought the tall bouncer wound make even better sport. SEALs were well known for their blade handling abilities, and this one was no different, even as he pulled one on a nineteen-year-old.  One second, the big Were’s hands had been empty, the next, a glittering steel blade had spun through his long fingers like quicksilver, as razor sharp as Paul’s smile of bloodthirsty anticipation. The other man hadn’t noticed the way it slid out of thin air, intent as he was on dodging the longer reach of his opponent. It had been yet another thing to flip Sam out, watching Paul as he observed the other, studying the way he moved, taking no more than a slice or two that had painted his golden skin crimson before he had his opponent figured out and his blade licked up the other’s arms in delicate slices and pale white lines. He’d drawn very little blood considering the white-hot sharpness of the knife-edge, but it wasn’t due to lack of skill and that more than anything had scared Sam. It was as if Paul had simply memorized every move the man had made…and adapted.

And all the time, the peculiar, calculating presence of Haven had moved along the sidelines, arms crossed and a vaguely amused curl to his lips. His piercing golden eyes were far more intrigued than put off, further confusing Sam and leading him to wonder about the tall man with the overwhelming force of presence that one moment could make you squirm with discomfort, and the next feel so comfortable you would spill every secret you ever had. Sam had found himself literally biting his tongue on occasion to keep from randomly spilling his guts like a catholic school girl in confession.

It was as the match was being broken up by the authorities that the blade had whirled along his fingertips and disappeared from sight just as mysteriously as it had appeared. Sam had later searched him, because he wasn’t about to let the bastard onto the rez with naked steel and an adrenalin high, but he hadn’t found it. Paul had actually chuckled and accommodated the pat-down with a strange good humor that made the Alpha want to pull out his own hair as he thought about the sleek silver blade he _knew_ he’d seen in Paul’s hand.

That night was the first and last time Sam had forced himself into Paul’s mind, past the strange mental block that he had erected to keep the pack out, and learned a horrible truth… _the fight_ was an actual physical need for Paul, inexplicable and as necessary as the very air they breathed. The chilling lust for brutality was already bone deep.

He’d vowed to himself to never try that again, because even if it had been worth it, and it hadn’t been, Sam had felt almost like a rapist for intruding into such a personal place where he was so obviously not wanted. So what if he was a bit envious of the fact that the other could keep his personal thoughts on-lock.

Suddenly, Sam tensed. The one thing he had wanted to avoid above all others concerning Bella was sure to happen when she arrived any moment now. He had avoided having these entirely different people in the same room for as long as he’d been able, partly because he didn’t trust Paul not to hurt her, and partly to avoid the sheer volume of whining sure to follow from a boy who didn’t seem to understand that you didn’t get to _own_ a girl. But fate seemed determined to threaten his balls with her steel-toed boots this night, because faster than he could open his mouth and spew out some excuse to extract Paul from the room and either threaten or beg him for Bella’s continued mental and physical health, his kitchen door slammed into the wall with wince-inducing force and the girl herself stormed through the doorway over the back-porch-threshold.

_“I swear, Jacob, if you don’t drop this right now, I will find a way to kick your ass!”_

The words were hissed out, quiet enough by human standards, but booming for a shifter. Especially given the person they had come from, because Bella didn’t have a mean bone in her body. Normally, any one of them would have been laughing hysterically at such a comment, but she sounded so amazingly pissed off at the foolish boy that no one could bring themselves to do it.

“But, Bella!” Sam winced at just how whiney Jacob sounded, somewhere between a sleep deprived toddler and a fifteen year old girl deprived of her first choice on her first prom dress. “You don’t understand!”

“Oh, I understand well enough! I understand that you are acting like a horse’s ass!” There was a short pause, then the sound of a hard thump. “Let me go, Jacob Black.”

Sam’s eyes widened in shock, then began to narrow in suspicion, because if Jake had dared attempt to restrain his baby sister, Sam would beat him down where he stood, true-alpha or not. Then he relaxed minutely as small feet stomped their way into the hallway connecting the kitchen to the dining room and finally into the entertainment room. She came into sight while turning to glare at her erstwhile companion, before moving into the room. Jacob stumbled after her, trying desperately to impart more of his supposed wisdom to the girl who had made her position clear on the point.

She turned to face Sam in greeting, when Jacob’s mouth finally trod on Bella’s last nerve. “He’s dangerous, Bella! Stay away from him!”

_And that was it._

Bella walked further into the room, past Embry who would have either given up his seat, or let her have one in his lap. Past the twins who would have done the same. Sam’s eyebrows jerked up in surprise when she finally came to a stop before the oddly quiet Paul. For his part, Paul merely lifted a brow in question, before what looked like genuine amusement pulled a faint dimple from his left cheek as the girl used one of her little doc martens to carefully create between space between his own, pulling his legs wide enough for her to sit down and make her point even more obvious.

Sam felt his heart stutter as a heart-attack became imminent. Jared, who had been sitting next to him, gulped audibly as his eyes widened with panic along with half of the rest of the pack.

That wicked little half smile curled Paul’s lips, the one that typically spelled certain doom of the nastiest proportions before he reached down, slid his big hands under Bella’s butt and scooped her up off the wooden floor. For a moment, Sam fought his body’s urge to scramble to his feet, because he was certain that the next second would find Bella drop-kicked through his easterly-facing bay-window for daring to touch the bastard. He just about choked when Paul lifted her higher, before sliding down further on his spine and sprawling his legs spread wider as he pulled her closer and dropped her back to the floor. Her body conformed easily to his much larger one, back cushioned against his heavy-muscled torso. Even worse was when her arms came down and lay along the upward slope of his thighs like he was some kind of humanoid-lounger. The Were casually braced his own arms against his upraised knees and settled in as if sitting with Bella were somehow natural to him…though Sam didn’t miss the goading smirk that all but sent Jake into the rafters, red faced and sputtering.

“Comfortable?” Paul murmured to the girl who Sam now realized had a great deal more balls than any of them.

“Immensely. Thank you for asking.” She glared one last time at Jacob for good measure, as if he’d somehow missed the point, before snatching the remote from Jared’s now nerveless fingers.

The movie started…and to be honest…Sam was pretty sure only two people were actually watching it.

 


	7. Follow Me Down - 3OH!3

Bella groaned as she slapped at the snooze button on her alarm clock.

It was six a.m. on Monday morning, and the day was starting far too soon according to her internal clock. But when had the time gods ever listened to the girl who didn’t want the day to start?

_It was all her own fault, really, having stayed up all night brooding._

Ironically, the quietest point of last night, at least for her, had been the hours spent in Paul Lahote’s partial embrace from the moments after Jacob had stormed from the house in a strangely silent rage and lasting until just after the credits of that night’s movie had rolled up the screen.

Somehow, she’d managed to repress her conscience during that time span, both for purposefully pissing Jacob off…and for using Paul to do it while for forcing herself on him physically once more, even after he had specifically mentioned his aversion to the touch of others.

_Oh god, she felt absolutely horrid for that last one._

Even more terrible, he’d sat quietly behind her as plans were tentatively made for the next movie night, giving no sign of just how uncomfortable she must have been making him. He’d even lifted her from the floor as he’d stood, his face blank of any irritation and just that alone made her feel like the lowest of the low for his consideration.

It was only after she’d driven herself home and climbed into bed that the true shame had set in.

_She’d violated him._

He’d helped her the first time because Sam had asked, but he’d done so with a good attitude, intoxicated or not. A tiny part of her, the part lashing her with self-loathing, wondered if the reason he’d shown up to drive her home while sloshed was maybe because he’d needed that little buffer to get through the situation. He’d known that he would have to let her touch him in order to get her home, and he’d even generously allowed her to drive when he’d quite possibly drunk more than he might have intended.

She couldn’t even begin to express how mortified she was that just the simple press of his body against her own had caused her to lose it so completely that the brief exhalation of warm air along her throat had made her…. _yeah…_ Bella buried her burning face in her hands and decided to repress that last bit for the rest of her existence.

That ride home had been the first time she’d imposed on him that day, but it hadn’t been the last. Because no, Bella was apparently incapable of reading certain social cues and she’d gone on to force him into her bed _for his own good_ by dragging him there by the freaking hand _that he didn’t like having touched,_ where he’d proceeded to stay with her as if she’d needed the babysitting she’d implied she needed and gone on to let her use his body like the security blanket she was supposedly used to having.

_She couldn’t even begin to imagine how upset he must have been to wake up with her atop of his body._

Even worse was the fact that she could still recall feel the phantom sensation of his tall, stupidly gorgeous body sprawled beneath hers with shameful pleasure. She just wanted to forget it, because how could she take pleasure in something that he abhorred _? What did that say about her?_

He’d done a remarkable job of acting as if nothing was amiss, which would explain his odd reaction to finding his hands planted on her ass. _As if he was unaware of the correct reaction to such a situation and was going along with it all in an attempt to keep from losing it._ He’d not tossed her onto the floor as she would have deserved, what with having woken to find her straddling his body as she had been. She still wasn’t quite sure how _that_ had happened; she’d never done that with her usual bed-mates. Nor had he acted poorly when she’d offered him a belated dinner. He’d taken her presentation of a shirt with good grace, even if the only one that met approval was her current sleep shirt.

She snorted at herself, because he’d made even the Cheshire Cat look bad-ass as it stretched tightly across a body that was built to ridiculous and quite possibly inhuman perfection.

_Bella sighed, irritated with herself for going there with someone she knew would never appreciate the sentiment._

After they’d gone downstairs, he’d even helped her prepare dinner, chopping veggies for the salad with a speed and dexterity that would have left her own fingers in pieces if she’d attempted it, no matter how good she was with a paring knife. His lips had curved into an amused smile as he’d worked, not seeming to mind at all as she bustled about the kitchen with nervous chatter following in her wake.

Not long after they had sat down at the kitchen table, his cell had sounded off and it had been his boss calling him in to cover a shift they were short for. He had eaten quickly, though neatly, before thanking her and putting his dishes into the sink. He’d laughed outright when she had hesitated in telling him where his keys were before loping up the stairs and retrieving them. Then he had disappeared into the night.

The whole surreal occurrence had been so very unlike what she had been warned to expect of him that she was still certain he had been drunk and had just written the whole experience off as a one-off.

The next time she’d seen Paul, she could thankfully say that physical contact was not strictly her fault. Falling from the shelving in the grocery store had been purely accidental; though she couldn’t be anything but thankful he’d thought to catch her, because she didn’t really enjoy her trips to the E.R. He’d placed her back on her feet scant moments after he’d caught her, even going so far as to grab what she had been after.  He’d ignored his phobia in favor of helping her yet again, and she still felt terrible that she’d failed to thank him.

Yesterday, however? _Oh, that was sooooo her fault._

Her cowardice in regards to Mike Newton had thrust her into his arms yet again. And again, instead of shaking her off and displaying the sharp side of his vicious temper, Paul had put aside his dislike of human contact and hidden her from her inept wannabe-stalker using his own body. And he had been so discomfited by the experience that he had caused minor property damage in the mall bathroom.

_God, he must have been so disgusted by her._

Bella groaned at the thought, because that wasn’t the worst of it.

After he had so kindly allowed her to use him for her own purposes, he’d given fair warning in regards to his preferences. And until that point, all of the touching, no matter how it stopped her heart and scrambled her senses all over the place, had been forgivable. Something that she could have written off as herself being a silly girl about for just how alarmingly attracted to him she was.

If she were to be honest, she’d always been a bit self-righteous, in the past, about what attracted her to the male species. Her attraction to Edward, as strong as it had been, was mostly mental, despite how ethereally handsome he had been. Though a new, rebellious, part of her wondered if his looks were actually as perfect as they had seemed, or if his vampire nature had somehow glamoured her into seeing him as she had. His hair had been an odd shade of reddish-brown, his smile a bit more crooked than his slightly uneven teeth. His body had been nothing to write home over, his having been turned in a time where physical archetypes were far from as fit as they were currently. The diamond sparkle of his skin in the sunlight had been more than beautiful enough to make up for the lack.  And for all of that, she’d never been more attracted to a male.

Until Paul.

Paul, who even stripped of all charm and personality, was the most _terrifyingly_ handsome male creature she’d ever seen. His face and form held a physical perfection that was almost… _unnatural_. As if he’d not been quite human even _before_ he’d phased and the Were genetics had simply built upon that beauty and created something utterly breathtaking. His draw on her hormones was like nothing she could even begin to explain. She could barely even _speak_ around the man most of the time, something not even Edward had managed.

Now, Bella absolutely loathed herself for her reaction to him, because it was so pointedly unwelcome.

But even all of that hadn’t stopped her from nearly climbing into his lap just to get back at Jacob. And not only had he allowed, it, but he’d pulled her even closer as if he welcomed contact with her just to help her make her point. His body had lacked any and all tension, lax against hers in a deceptively casual pose that he had maintained even after the target of her ire had fled the premises, though she wouldn’t bother to fool herself into thinking it had all been for her, because she suspected he’d have actually cuddled up to Sam himself, if it would somehow piss Jacob off even further. 

_Because Jacob would simply be forced to relive the memory of what he’d missed when he’d stormed out, later, through the pack mind…_

Ooooo, she could just _kick_ herself!

With that thought in mind, Bella finally dragged herself from her bed and into the shower, where she once more forgot to monitor the temperature before climbing under a freezing cold spray and squawking in shock as she spun the dials to correct the temperature. _Well, she was certainly awake,_ now _…_

A sudden hard knocking at the door startled her and she whipped her head around.

“Bella?” Charlie’s muffled voice came through the door. “Y’okay in there, kiddo?”

“Fine, Dad….just got too much cold water for a moment,” Bella responded, voice slightly raised to be heard over the spray of the water.

She heard a quiet chuckle before he knocked once more in answer then moved off back to his room. He had the night shift later to cover one of the deputies whose wife was going into labor, so Bella made a mental note to leave him something easily microwavable for when he got home tomorrow morning.

>}:{<

Sadly, the shower mishap was just the tip of the iceberg. As she spent more time mulling over her intrusions on Paul, things had continued to go wrong for Bella. It may have started with the shower, but it only spiraled downwards. She’d nearly broken her ankle as she’d stumbled down the stairs, missed a step and came within a hairsbreadth of face-planting against the front door.

Driving to school, she could have sworn that the same idiot in the little red car from Saturday had cut her off at an intersection, and she’d actually revved her truck to pancake the little twerp before she remembered that her dad was a cop and she’d be royally busted if she claimed her foot had simply slipped and oops, she didn’t _mean_ to teach him a lesson about the differences in mass for a little red Toyota ft-86 sports car and behemoth red Chevy pickup.

But even that would been preferable to the Bella-Watch that had been set up to waylay her when she arrived in the parking lot of the high school.

People she’d never even _met_ had appeared in an attempt to get the latest gossip in what was looking more and more like some kind of Bella Swan reality show that someone had forgotten to film. She cringed as if she’d just swallowed a lemon, because just the thought might make it actually happen if she were unlucky enough.

Mike had made an appearance in all his poorly hidden jealousy, and she’d just _seen_ the wheels turning in his head as he attempted to figure out a way to question her on her possible involvement with Paul without coming right out and asking. Jessica had stood behind Lauren as the other girl sniped at Bella, head nodding like a bobble-head’s as her b.f.f. attempted to slyly belittle her all the while trying to get the Were’s phone number. After all, Bella was supposedly still in mourning over the loss of her little Cullen beau, what did she need that goooorgeous (her word) biker for?

Bella had finally resorted to faking menstrual cramps with the help of Angela, who had seen right through her and had lead the poor girl off with the promise of Midol. Midol was the code word for Bella spilling her guts about what was _really_ going on. Bella had been more than happy for the reprieve and so had taken the out and spilled the beans about everything, baring anything _supernatural_ of course.

Sadly, during that time, she’d come to another personal revelation…

Jacob was her best friend in the whole world, the one who had spent the most time and emotional energy digging her out of her little mental black hole. And instead of respecting him enough to have made certain their confrontation was concluded where it would be just between the two of them, something that hypocritical little her had been furious over when he had done started on her in the theater, she had proceeded to use the person he hated most to get back at him like a bratty little brat.

To make matters worse, instead of helping him to see that maybe, _just maybe_ , he and Paul might someday get along, she had thrown an epic fit and made things worse with her actions. The kind of fit she hadn’t thrown since she was three and someone had stolen her Smurfette doll to give it a make-over.

She’d already needed to find a way to beg forgiveness from someone who reportedly had none to give, but now she had to gain forgiveness from a best friend she had wronged. She was well aware that he had crossed too many lines of his own, but she couldn’t stand the guilt she felt that she had intentionally hurt him.

Luckily, as a senior she had off-campus lunch privileges, so she’d taken the escape with Angela and had avoided any continued questioning from the others as her friend helped her to brainstorm ways to fix all her current woes.

After they had retreated back to campus, the other students had pretty much returned to normal, though Mike was still a bit squirrelly and Lauren was a bit bitchier. In the prom queen’s head, while Cullen had been hot despite his peculiarities (she should know, she’d tried to get him herself…epic fail that had been) this new guy was seriously out of the shy, loner chick’s league. The chick in question had rolled her eyes when she’d heard the muffled ranting as Lauren and Jessica had strutted down the hallway towards their own classroom.

It had felt like reprieve from the firing squad when the last bell had rung and Bella had quickly put in the ear-buds to her iPhone (a gift from Charlie as a quiet congratulations for her recovery after the mess created by the Cullen Mass-Exodus), cranked up the volume, and scurried out of the building, across the parking lot, and into Bess. Angela waved at her, before angling down into her own car and following her out onto the main road till they parted ways through town.

Which found Bella once more alone and trying to come up with a way to track down Paul to apologize. She didn’t know where he lived, where he worked, where he hung out, what his phone number was, nor when his next patrol was scheduled.

That…was honestly a bit strange, because she knew most of those details about almost every other wolf in the pack. She had not have even noticed just how sheltered she had been from that particular pack member, and now she found it just a bit irritating because she was seriously hampered in her self-given task. She really wouldn’t rest easy until she’d explained herself to him. _Not that she really knew what she was going to say, or even if she’d be able to say anything at all._  He had this strange ability to tie her tongue into knots.

Suddenly, a huge crashing boom yanked Bella’s attention back out of her own head as the sky opened up and _poured_ down on the world in heavy torrents. The sky absolutely boiled with heavy black clouds, making the storm of the day before look like chump change. And while it was good for the poor parched greenery, it made her a little nervous to drive through. She couldn’t drive over forty mph until the part she and Jacob had found yesterday could be installed, leaving her biting her knuckles every time someone sped by her through the thick curtain of rainfall, their vehicles lit eerily by her flashing hazard lights.

She could only sigh in relief when her street came into view, the street lamps just barely managing to illuminate the road. The gutters were already beginning to flood as she turned up the driveway, before killing the engine, then running out and hurriedly pulled a tarp from the garage and covered the bed of the truck to keep Bess from getting water-logged.

When she finally shuffled up the front walkway and through the front door, she was absolutely drenched, her hair dripping onto the tiled entryway. She groaned, her back slumping against the door for a moment as she kicked off her soaked shoes before she made her way into the kitchen to wring her hair out over the sink.

“Ugh,” she muttered as she looked down at her shirt, the contrary thing plastered to her body like an uncomfortable second skin. Then she heard the heater coming on and realized that the house was a little bit _too_ chill for comfort so she moved back to the front of the house and up the stairs, stopping in the bathroom to grab a brush on her way, because if she let her hair air dry without a good brushing then the usually soft curls would take over the world. She was lucky in that the weight of her hair usually pulled her hair straight without much effort.

She was pulling the brush through her hair as she stepped into her dark bedroom and shut the door, shivering as a slight breeze from the open window cut through the thin fabric of her tee-shirt. Tossing her brush absently towards her bed, she turned towards her closet and turned on the light as she shuffled through her pajama drawer. Reaching to pull her shirt up over her head, low rumble of male laughter made her eyes shoot wide. Goose bumps ran up her spine with soccer cleats as a low, painfully, _arousingly_ familiar voice came from the window.

 _“You really have no sense of self-preservation, do you?”_ Amusement colored the deep, rough tone.

Bella’s eyes rolled slowly to the side as the dark form sitting in the shadows suddenly shifted into view, like a chameleon suddenly changing its chosen position. It started with the legs, long and thickly muscled as they slid from the darkness into the faint light cast front the open closet door and slowly crossed at the ankle. That light danced along the bare golden skin of his arms as he braced his palms against the window frame on either side of his seat. His hair was loose and blacker than sin as it tumbled down his back and framed the pure sculptured beauty of his face. His wide mouth was twisted into a faint smile, the ever-present shades only slightly obscuring the lines of his upper face. Dressed in black jeans and an even blacker tee-shirt that clung with jealous love to his tall form, Paul Lahote sat perched on the low sill of her window frame.

Bella blushed fuchsia as she realized that she still had her shirt pulled up almost to her breasts and hurriedly yanked it back down, spinning with graceless swiftness to face the intruder. “How did you-?”

He blindly reached up and unerringly flicked the window lock shut from its open position. The click of the lock striking home made Bella twitch slightly as she realized he’d locked them in.

Part of her knew that she should have been very worried. If Paul could get in that easily, so could Victoria. Never mind the fact that she was now closed into a small space with a well-known predator, one she just so happened to owe numerous debts to, not even counting her betrayal of him just last night. He seemed content to wait patiently as she stood there, her mind spinning as she attempted to sort out just where she wanted to start, because she was at a loss. Procrastinating for as long as possible, Bella latched onto the one thing that stood out as curious. “And why did you…?”

His smile broadened a fraction before he jerked his chin towards a handful of deep lavender fabric on her comforter. Her Cheshire Cat shirt, neatly folded and placed at the foot of her bed.

She reached out and scooped it up with a grateful smile, hugging her favorite shirt to her chest for a moment and taking in the scent of fabric softener before shifting to put it back under her pillow. “Thank you for returning it. I had been meaning to ask what happened to it,” she said with a self-conscious smile. _C’mon, Bella, just freakin’ SPIT IT OUT!_ “I’ve also been trying to find a way to contact you.”

A sleek black brow arced in question. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” Bella looked down at her toes for a moment, biting her lip as she forced herself to continue, before bringing her attention back to his face with all her mental might, because... The arm he’d lifted to flick her lock had lowered and his thumb absently hooked into a belt loop, drawing attention to the way his hips shifted faintly on the sill, his legs flexing smoothly under soft denim and almost distracting her yet again with the urge to just _touch_ him.

_Oh sweet baby Jesus, Bella, just knock it off right now!_

A good mental head smack later, and she pulled her eyes back to where they belonged, where she assumed his eyes were, her hands twisting in the hem of her shirt in agitation. “I’ve been going over and over it all day, now, and I’m pretty sure I owe you a huge apology.”

She wasn’t certain, but she was pretty sure she heard humor coloring his tone. “And why do you feel you owe me this apology?”

Bella twisted her shirt harderbefore taking a deep breath and finally biting the proverbial bullet. “I’m apologizing because yesterday, after you told me you preferred not to be touched by people, I turned around and used you to get back at someone by… _touching_ you. I am not proud of myself for taking advantage of you that way. You have already done so much for me in the last few days, and I repaid you by betraying your wishes for my own my own gain. I understand if you think I’m a horrible person, but I-”

Bella had stopped to draw a breath to forge on, when she saw his hand come up to pinch the bridge of his nose, and she felt even worse because now she was wondering if maybe she had done the wrong thing in bringing it up again, he was obviously traumatized by the entire thing and-

Paul’s shoulders shook faintly, and Bella wrung her hands, unwilling to touch him again even though pained by his apparent pain. She shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, helplessly lost in how to go about fixing her newest misstep. A small, empathetic sound of distress tried to force its way from her throat when deep, rich laughter rolled through her room, the big Were helplessly caught in its grasp as the small, earnest young woman desperately attempted to apologize. His smile was wide and bright in the darkness, and if Bella had been anyone else, they would have instantly seen the predator for what it was, but all she could do was gape at him in confusion as he finally dropped his head back against the window frame and laughed outright.

Finally calming he turned that predator’s smile on the girl as she stood there, all sharp white teeth and lazy amusement. “I said I don’t like it when _people_ touch me. But, you’re not just _people_ …you’re _Bella_.”

Bella blinked. Then blinked again. And finally a third time for good measure, because from where she was standing, it sounded an awful lot like Paul was saying he _didn’t_ mindit when _she_ touched him. That tiny part of her brain that was obsessed with touching him jumped with glee, but she ruthlessly stomped on it, because even if he didn’t mind simple touch from her, it did _not_ mean he was signing on to be her groping practice dummy.

Her second response caught even _her_ unawares and Bella found herself getting irritated. “You mean I…you… _ooooh_!You mean I spent all this time feeling like the lowest of the low because I was afraid that I’d done something horrible to someone who never did me wrong and _now_ you’re saying it was all for nothing, because _I’m Bella_?!”

The Were watched with continuing good humor as the girl began pacing around her room, arms flailing in random directions as she continued her verbal outpouring. It picked up speed and a bit of volume as she went, but he was seemingly far too amused to bother with taking offence. And even after she tripped over a loose board in her floor and stumbled into him, he simply lifted her into his lap and let her persist in her rant.

Bella never even noticed, far too stuck in her head to realize that she was no longer pacing because mentally, she was still making laps around her room at an ever quickening pace. Her hands, however, responded to the proper stimulus and pulled her leg up over the other as she sat draped over his thighs, absently rubbing away the ache as she continued to let him know that she was not pleased with the unintentional guilt trip. She already had enough guilt over the fact that even thinking that he was a touchaphobe, she had still gone on to force her person on him and use him against someone else she had to apologize for.

“I spent _hours_ agonizing over every little thing! I didn’t even sleep last night because I was too worried over what I was going to say to you!”

She again failed to notice when he slowly pulled the abused limb from her hands and carefully rubbed away the ache caused by the ungentle slam against the unforgiving oak flooring. His warm, hard-callused hands worked much better than her own at soothing the bruised flesh that had resulted from Bella’s own clumsiness.

That was when reality finally picked her up by the proverbial scruff of the neck and gave her a good shake.

She reached down, slowly, as if attempting to not spook a wild animal, and laid her hands atop his. There was no flinching, no sign of distress and Bella began to wonder just how many things about this man she had allowed herself to be spoon-fed were in fact grossly inaccurate. He had never been anything but polite to her (baring his hands having _one time_ found themselves in inappropriate places) even if he intimidated the utter crap out of her. He’d never yelled at her, threatened her, or even so much as glared at her. He’d _helped_ her more than once, sometimes for no other reason than he was at the right place at the right time.

One of his hands turned over under her own, splaying wide under her palm and she let hers align with his, so much larger than her own that her fingers did not even truly reach the first joint in his fingers where they curled over the top of her own as if subconsciously emphasizing just how small hers were. She was sure he could have easily palmed a basketball, were he so inclined.

Looking up, she saw that his attention had also been caught by the sight, slim pale fingers against his big darkly tanned hands. The light from her closet gleamed sharply off his sunglasses and she was reaching for them before she could stop herself. His other hand gently shackled her lifted wrist, his head tipping away from reach. “You can’t unsee those, once they’ve been seen,” he warned her quietly.

_God, how many times must he have heard crap about his eyes to make him want to hide them?_

Bella was starting to get angry again, only this time it wasn’t at this particular Were but at everyone who had ever treated him as if he were some kind of freak that had to hide his eyes. He may not have been completely human, but really? How dare the others treat him as if he were somehow more freaky than they were? They _all_ turned into giant hairy canines. She could only guess as to what the supposed deformity might be, because he could obviously see quite well, even in the dark from behind heavily silvered lenses. Were they more wolf-like than a humans, glowing a bright amber? Or was it something else entirely?

In the end, Bella was Bella. Curious, instinctual, and sometimes foolish. Because she pulled her wrist free and reached up again, this time with both hands and slowly pulled the frames down those high cheekbones. Cheekbones that she was surprised to note were less of the gracefully elegant slope of the Native American, and more the high, sculpted curve of something more Slavic in origin. Indecently long and thick black lashes lay against the smooth golden skin of his cheeks, before slowly sweeping upward…and taking away Bella’s ability to breathe right along with them.

His eyes were the clear sharp color of a frozen artic morning. Pale jagged ice and frosted silver ringed with deepest black along the outer edge of the iris. Metallic and so deep you could drown in them. And completely, impossibly _inhuman_ …

 


	8. I'm Free - Soup Dragons

Eyes. Windows to the soul.

Or windows into the unknown in this case.

Bella was rarely struck dumb. She wasn’t the type.

Too many years spent idolizing feminists such as Bronte and Austin had resulted in a highly articulate if somewhat shy young woman who was never at a loss in expressing herself.

When faced with Vampires, those supposedly impossible creatures out of Gothic myth, Bella Swan had simply used every bit of information and observation at her disposal and come to the correct conclusion. She’d just been incredibly lucky that her first foray into the supernatural world had involved Vampires who, baring Jasper, were far more likely to take a bite out of an elk or bear than a klutzy little human. Even she knew that her birthday party fiasco wasn’t the poor man’s fault, no matter what bull Edward had tried to sell her.

Their eyes had held whole worlds of sadness. Fear, pain, and even desperation at times. But their eyes had also held joy for even the simplest things, such as that found in helping others, or shopping like a demon (God she missed Alice, even when she tried to turn her into a life-sized Barbie). Reading, music, cars and a simple game like Baseball. And their fascination with a simple little human and all her foibles had been universal…even for Rosalie, no matter how she denied it.

Their eyes, no matter their golden _otherness_ , were still very human. The Cullens, themselves, were born of humanity, even if it had been warped into something supernatural.

_As had been the Wolves of the Quileute pack…_

All of them Native American with dark eyes, they had more than a bit of the animal in them, even the gentlest of them. But they never lost that basic humanity that set them apart from their distant cousins. Those poor beings that were controlled by the phases of the moon and lost all sense of self in the painful and humiliating change. Her friends may complain about their loss of autonomy, but they had it worlds easier than those unfortunates.

Strength, speed, endurance, fortitude were theirs in abundance. And for all their supernatural abilities, they had all sprung from humanity’s gene pool.

_All except this one…_

She’d never seen such eyes, never imagined they could have existed in a human face. Such a pale, icy blue veined with pure cold silver, lambent in the shadows. So much texture and depth. The elliptical pupils, so like a feline’s, contracted sharply as her bedside lamp suddenly clicked on with the timer. She almost shivered at the chill of them as the light caught the metallic glint in those otherworldly eyes, despite the heat his big body gave off, perched as she was across his thighs.

His face was tilted slightly downward as he watched her from under those absurdly long lashes, as if waiting for her to freak the fuck out like everyone else seemed to. Everyone from Sam to Charlie to the corner store clerk had flinched, though for some reason those not in the supernatural-know could pinpoint exactly what it was about those eyes made them recoil. They couldn’t see what, exactly, set them apart from the rest. It was like some kind of glamour that dropped only if you knew what to look for.

And yet, despite the alien nature of his eyes, Bella found them to be utterly, staggeringly beautiful. Something so exotic and perfect could only belong to someone like Paul, because they were simply yet one more detail that set him apart from the rest of humanity. And they further cemented Bella’s belief that Paul might have been something more than human before he’d phased.

Because nothing about the others had truly changed when they had phased. Their faces matured, but the features didn’t change a bit. Their bodies had bulked up, but the muscle stayed the same shape they would have gained if they had built them the natural way, through hard work and weight lifting.

Paul was built completely differently, streamlined as if drawn by an artist and somehow given life. He was tall and broadly muscled, yet somehow for all of his muscle mass he didn’t move awkwardly like someone his size should have. He was ridiculously, fluidly graceful, like a big cat in the jungle. His muscles shifted under smooth golden skin like steel under velvet. Her memory of him standing shirtless in her room recalled that he had a perfect symmetry to him that should have been utterly impossible.

Compared to Paul, Bella felt small and average and entirely forgettable…something Paul could never be.

She was short with long dark hair and what she considered to be a passable figure. She had a heart-shaped face with big brown eyes and a cupid’s-bow mouth. And while she was good-looking enough by normal standards, Paul was playing in a league so far beyond the all-star-pro that it was ridiculous.

Some part of her self-conscious posture must have communicated itself erroneously to the Were, because his expression shut off and he pulled back, one hand reaching for the glasses she had pulled from his face before she shook herself free of her awestruck daze. She plucked them from his fingers and tossed them gently onto her bed, then hesitated a moment on what to do next. She regretted it when his eyes grew fractionally colder. Remembering his dislike of touch had given her pause, but she carefully pressed the palms of her hands against his cheeks and brought him back around to face her. She didn’t know from where exactly she pulled up the courage to do it, but was glad she had when his eyes met hers again. Bella felt her lips curve up tentatively, looking him directly in the eye as if she could somehow reassure him with the gesture. “Please don’t hide them. They’re kind of amazing.”

He blinked at her as if he wasn’t quite sure he’d heard her correctly, cocking his head slightly under her hands as his brows pulled into stark slashes. Confusion and disbelief chased each other through his pale gaze. But he didn’t turn away and long moments passed as they stared at each other. Then he snorted quietly, the chill retreating from his eyes as a dimple kicked up into his cheek, a faint smile curling his mouth with amusement. “You’re not afraid of me. Are you.”

It didn’t escape her notice that he’d not commented on her opinion. And it wasn’t a really a question, but Bella answered him anyway as he lifted her to her feet before gaining his own. “Not afraid of you, exactly. You do intimidate me, though?”

Paul bent his head to look her in the face, his smile widening into that full-blown predator’s smile. “Are you reassuring me?”

She craned her neck back to meet his gaze, the foot apposite the one she had abused absently scuffing against the rug under her bed as her hands twisted behind her back. “Maybe?”

He snorted again, before turning away. “I’ll try to feel comforted,” he snarked back mildly.

Bella felt her lips turn up into a grin despite her resolve to remain solemn. She was actually kinda proud of herself for speaking coherently in front of him. It was a first in her book. Especially since he’d touched her, which tended to blow her speech circuits. She could still feel the phantom touch of his big hands where they had settled on her hips as he’d lifted her to her feet, the smooth flex of his thighs under her own. Bella almost wanted to bang her head against the wall and get it over with. Because one way or another, she’d end up brain dead and drooling if she was around him for prolonged amounts of time.

While she was contemplating giving herself brain damage, Paul had moved away, seemingly taking in her room again from a sober standpoint. She supposed flat on his back under a strange girl who was using him as her very own life-sized teddy bear made for a rather awkward viewpoint. Then she could have smacked herself sillier than she already was, because honestly, he was making an effort here! She could make more of an effort to not reduce the poor male to a piece of meat to be lusted after. And if she were honest with herself, if a guy objectified her the way she occasionally did with Paul, she’d have been mightily offended.

Nodding to herself and thankful that his back was turned so that he wouldn’t see it, she determined to treat him with more respect, watching as Paul continued his leisurely stroll about her room, running a finger down the spines of a few of her books, plucking out a few DVD titles, then placing them back on their shelves, before finally coming to her desk.

Bella suddenly inhaled a panicky little breath as he found one of her guilty secrets.

Bella loved to draw. She wasn’t a terribly skilled artist, but she got a kick out of drawing her own comic strips. They were therapeutic for her, acting out dreams and fantasies.

The latest one was just a simple two frame lineup of her and Jacob. The first frame showed her standing next to the boy as he prattled on and on about their current argument, so in love with his version of events that he had little hearts in his eyes. But cartoon Bella’s ears were steaming, her arms crossed over her chest and teeth gritted so hard they were about to crack under the strain. The next frame showed Jacob running for his little cartoon life, legs kicking up and arms pumping desperately to escape a manic looking Bella as she raced after him with a baseball bat held high overhead, a fiendish cackle escaping through her ghoulish little grin.

Paul smirked, all dimples and sharp white teeth as he flipped to another strip, and Bella could have died from embarrassment. She buried her face in her hands as if she could somehow hide from the mortification of having one of her most reoccuring fantasies put on display.

The silence in the room was deafening. She’d never shown her work to a soul, and now, here it was laid out before someone who, to be frank, left her feeling a bit unsettled. She didn’t have the first inkling about how he’d take something that, while meant to be humorous, might make him remember that pathetic little girl who followed her undead boyfriend into the woods and begged him to not leave her.

Slow, deep laughter rumbled through her room, surprising Bella into peeking through her fingers just in time to catch sight of Paul carefully folding and tucking the comic inside the inner pocket of the heavy leather jacket tossed haphazardly across the seat of her rocker, uncovering a black saddlebag in the process.

Pulling her hands down, Bella eyed him curiously as her fingers twisted together nervously. She’d always considered her work to be amateur, but it filled that need in her to exact vengeance, even if unknowingly, upon certain deserving individuals. Other pieces reflected her more humorous experiences. There were numerous frames of the emergency room, because Bella had learned to see the humor in her klutziness. There was even a half-finished piece of her giggling as she flattened that stupid little red car. But the piece he’d taken was a little more personal than the others. When she’d started it, she’d been so melancholy, and it had reflected that state of mind. But then she’d gotten angry…and rightfully so. It had been the most futile, embarrassing argument they had ever had, and it had left her feeling like a child for wanting what he had promised her but refused to deliver.

But now…?

“Going on my wall,” he stated with a lifted brow, as if daring her to try and take it back. Take back the old argument and it’s far more palatable conclusion.

Because in that comic strip had been little emo Edward, in all his gloomy glory, under his very own raincloud. He stood in a meadow of wildflowers, his mournful golden eyes on the viewer as he lamented over his lack of soul. It was gone, lost in the burning misery of transition between the sanctity of life and the wickedness of his undead existence. His little hands clasped together earnestly, he exclaimed that he could not bear to subject another to his own soulless existence. He had committed the ultimate sin in becoming a Vampire and would not be able to sin further by taking the soul of his love. Then, in the background appeared a tiny blonde girl with high pigtails and a classic school-girl plaid skirt. She scowled irritably at little Edward, arms crossed over her tiny bosom and foot tapping impatiently as she waited for him to finish pontificating on his own damned state of being. But evidentially, it was just too much to take and Buffy the Vampire Slayer attacked the self-righteous excuse for a vampire with a war-like cry and a well-aimed Mr. Pointy. Little Edward had time to wring his hands and look properly horrified before he burst into glittering pixy-dust with a wail of dismay as tiny Buffy dusted her hands in good riddance.

It had been the very first time she’d actually felt anger over her abandonment. And granted, while she felt a little silly over the ending, it had been a relief in a way, because now in her dreams, Edward no longer danced just ahead of her reach. He was simply gone, because (in one of life’s greater ironies) her childhood hero had done away with the thing that kept her up at night as only she could have done. It was as if she had rewritten the end of her own dreams and now she could sleep peacefully at night. It never even occurred to Bella to have drawn herself into the role Buffy, to be the one to end her nightmares of Edward’s betrayal of her. Just the idea of even _drawing_ herself that close to Edward would have made her feel hollow and pathetic. And it made her realize just how grateful she was that he had taken everything that could remind her of him, even if he couldn’t take her memories, because those, just as he’d promised, would fade over time.

So she let him have the only tangible memory she had of her ex with a smile. And if he actually did put it up, then maybe she would let herself feel pride of accomplishment, a rarity for her when it came to something expressing an artistic bent.

So lost was she in her memories that when Paul’s cell phone inevitably went off, she just about jumped out of her skin in surprise. Her heart was still hammering uncomfortably as he reached into his pocket and plucked out a tiny Bluetooth that he set into his ear.

“Talk,” he stated after he’d pressed the answer button. For a few seconds, he listened intently as he moved to the window and looked out at the pelting rain. Then, “No. Not happening.”

He had actually reached up to hit the disconnect, when the caller evidentially made one last ditch attempt to change Paul’s mind. Suddenly, it was as if someone had flipped a switch. His lips curved into a chilling smile, his pale eyes simmered with something cold and alien, before they narrowed with hungry anticipation. His body was thrumming with barely leashed violence as he slowly paced the small confines of her room like a big animal trapped in a tiny cage.

Bella, who had begun to shiver again from the cold of her damp clothing, felt the heat he threw off in waves as he moved. And a part of her wanted to bask in that heat, but for once her sense of self-preservation was suggesting that maybe, just maybe, that wasn’t the best thought she’d ever had. She was already starting to feel like an eavesdropper, anyway, and so took the opportunity to skirt her unanticipated houseguest and scoop up the pile of clothing she’d been about to change into before he’d startled her half to death with his unexpected presence.

A low, snarling growl followed her from the room as she escaped. And she was glad his last audible statement had nothing at all to do with her…

“Then I suggest you find him. Before I do.”

She couldn’t get out of there fast enough, scurrying towards the bathroom and locking herself in to get out of her wet clothes. After changing into yoga pants, an overly large long-sleeved tee-shirt and thick fuzzy socks, Bella looked at herself in the mirror hanging over the sink with a huge sigh.

“What are you doing here, Bella? Even Sam said he’s dangerous, and not even you are dumb enough to blow off that little display.”

She blinked at the bit of observation from the girl in the mirror, before shrugging and bending over the sink as she decided to wash her face to give Paul more time to finish his disagreement with whomever it was that had been foolish enough to call him.

The warm water warmed her face and chased away the beginnings of chilled blue lips. Sighing with pleasure, Bella finally left the bathroom and padded down the hallway to the thermostat to turn up the heat, because the house was now ridiculously cold. Deciding to set it to seventy for the time being, because after all she wasn’t due a were bedmate for the night, Bella finally wandered back in the direction of her room…and felt her eyes widen as she swallowed in a hard little gulp.

_Because there stood Paul in the midst of changing clothes._

He stood with his back to the room, having apparently just pulled up a pair of black cargo pants and she could have throttled herself for wishing that she had returned just a few seconds earlier. _We’re not thinking of him that way anymore, remember?!_ But he seemed determined to wreak havoc on her because he didn’t bother to fasten either the rest of the buttons of his fly or the thick leather belt that sat low on his hips, the intricate looking steel buckle becoming the bane of her existence as it pulled heavily against the fabric as if attempting to pull it _down…_ But that wasn’t the worst of it, because just then he turned from the window and gave her a lovely view from the front as well. Dim light from her lamp spilled down the beautiful planes of his body, gilding him in with a warm golden glow from those wide shoulders all the way down to where his tightly laced abs and roped obliques disappeared under the few buttons he’d actually bothered with.

Turning towards her rocking chair, he reached into the saddlebag and pulled out a black long-sleeved shirt that he slowly pulled over his head where it settled like a second skin, covering the tattoo of the leopard where it wound up around his left hip.

He was buttoning the last few buttons and fastening his belt when Bella regained her brain long enough to announce her presence with a delicate clearing of her throat. It brought his head up and she was relieved to see that his expression had settled into something far more human for the time being.

“Hey”, he said as she stepped though the doorway and into the room. “Sorry I gotta bail on you like this. Something came up.”

Bella refrained from saying that he was stating the obvious, too busy being glad that _her_ Paul was back. She absolutely refused, however, to think on the fact that she had actually claimed a part of him, and so just smiled and nodded. “It’s no problem. I have a lot of homework anyway.”

He pulled his hair pack, clubbing it at the base of his neck, then canted his head to the side as his face turned playful. “So…should I expect another human lap-warmer come next Sunday?”

Bella flushed, but dredged up the courage to tease him back. “Might. You’re pretty comfortable.” She had no intention of it, had nothing left to prove to anyone, and no reason to push his boundaries.

He smiled and moved closer, stepping within feet of her.

Unfortunately, that same consideration she wanted to give him by not forcing excessive physical contact on him now left her in a bit of a quandary. If he had been anyone else in the pack, she would have hugged him in farewell. Sam, Jacob, and Embry would also have warranted a light buss on the cheek. But with Paul, no matter how she looked at it, she found herself stymied. She wanted him to feel every bit as welcomed as the rest of the pack, without forcing him to endure more contact than he was comfortable with. She gnawed her lower lip in frustration, then finally settled for reaching out awkwardly to shake his hand.

He watched her for a moment, as if unsure of what she was attempting, the gesture alien to him. Bella waited patiently for him to take her hand, wanting to give him the option to refuse if he so chose, because even mild touch was open for interpretation. His eyes flared briefly before he simply shook his head and chuckled quietly. “Alright, I’m only going to say this once more. I hope you hear it, this time.”

Bella watched him curiously, hand still extended, feeling a bit guilty that she might have missed something important enough to warrant a repeat. She mightn’t known him long, but she rather suspected he wasn’t much of a chatterbox. Was probably even less likely to repeat himself all that often.

He reached his own hand out, gently shackling her wrist in his big hand and tugging her closer. She went, stumbling just a bit as she moved until she had to crane her head back just to see his face. His other hand reached up and slowly brushed her hair back behind her ear, then gently hooked fingers under her chin to hold her steady as he bent from his great height and brushed his cheek along her own in a gesture of animal acceptance. “You’re _Pack_ ,” he murmured. “And I’m giving you touch privileges.”

Bella’s heart thudded painfully in her chest.

It wasn’t anything she’d ever expected of him. Very like being nuzzled by a true wild animal, he was every bit as dangerous and unpredictable. You find yourself standing as still as possible, wanting desperately to return that gesture yet fearing to for the risk to life and limb just standing in his sphere. But in all things, animals are honest, and so she was choosing to trust in his continued good will.

Her hands reached up, painfully slowly as if to give him time to accept or decline, settling onto his shoulders to pull herself up onto her toes in an attempt to mirror his offer. She was warmed beyond words that the pack considered her to be of such importance to them. She would never be able to truly be one of them, but the thought was touching. That Paul would also accept her, given his nature, was beyond her, but she wanted desperately to simply accept, and so she flung her doubts out the window and carefully returned the motion, smiling as he held still under the caress, accepting it as easily as if it was shared between them daily.

Then he was gently shifting out from under her hands, giving her time to catch her balance before stepping away as he moved back to the window. He shrugged into the jacket and slid the glasses back onto his face. It was like watching the version of Paul that she was coming to know and like disappear. It unnerved her, to tell the truth, until he turned back to her and smiled just enough to pull the dimples into his cheeks as he pointedly flipped the latch on her window and eased it open.  Then with a last nod in farewell, he caught up his bag and flipped neatly off the window frame to disappear into the rainstorm.

Bella watched the open window for a few moments, still faintly stunned by the whole surreal experience. Then the rain beating over the windowsill and onto her floor brought her back to herself and she rushed forward to shut the window completely. Slipping on the rain-slick wood flooring for a moment, she soon wrestled the window down and locked it, having taken his suggestion to heart.

 _She needed to take far more care of her own safety._ Because Vampires were not the only things out there and her dad would have been rightfully horrified at her lack of care.

Several hours later, she was in the middle of her last assignment (Bella was a fan of getting all of her homework done in the beginning of the week so as to keep her weekends free) when something that had started out as a patient persistence and had slowly transformed into a insistent nagging suddenly percolated through her consciousness. It had begun somewhere when she had begun cooking dinner for her and Charlie, continued through math, science, and the English paper she had roughed out and already written most of, when it finally came to a head as she sat on her bed with her new laptop (a gift from Renée) in her lap.

Now, Bella counted herself as a fairly observant person. Paul was certainly worthy of observation from every angle. Maybe it had been the fact that catching him half-dressed had semi-fried her brain. And maybe she’d been wrong, but-

_She could have sworn that the black leopard tattoo had been on his opposite shoulder…_


	9. Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N' Roses

“Let me up, you _assholes_!”

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes as the newest wolf continued to throw his fit, while the Alpha nursed a rapidly fading concussion.

Earlier that morning, Jared’s little brother Jonah had picked another yet another dumb assed fight with Jared. To be honest, the two had never really gotten along, and since Jonah had been likely to phase at any time, he’d somehow blamed his older brother for their heritage, along with their red-headed problem, as if it were his fault alone that Victoria still prowled their borders.

This particular fight had ignited at breakfast when Jonah had actually stolen food off his brother’s plate. It was a minor offense, but for a starving shifter who had just run an all-nighter, it was enough to ignite a typically mild temper, even one like Jared’s.

_But Jared would have gotten over it, if Jonah hadn’t then turned the burgeoning temper of his soon to be shifter-nature in the direction of Kim._

It had started with vaguely inappropriate questions during the family meal. Then pointedly personal, before it had grown to encompass someone else Jared held dear. Sam was never sure why, because to his knowledge Jared held only a friendly attachment to Bella Swan, but he was almost as violently protective of the girl as he was his own imprint.

_And somehow, Jonah had known it._

It had taken crude commentary on the shape of Kim’s body and her possible talents in bed to have Jared at the breaking point. But when Jonah had smirked and asked him how Kim felt about his friendship with the pack’s little whore, Jared had gone frighteningly still. It wasn’t the first time Jonah had suggested such a thing, but this time he had actually called her the name outright. That he was even suggesting that Jared would be unfaithful to Kim with someone the shifter considered a dear friend-in-the-making was the final nail in the coffin. Jonah had actually opened his mouth for another go, when Jared had launched over the table and sent him flying back in his chair with a vicious uppercut.

Blood had exploded from his mouth where he’d almost bitten through his tongue. Sam, out looking for Jacob who had missed his shift, had heard the screams of Jared’s mother and sister and had taken off towards the Cameron home as fast as his inhuman speed could take him. He’d deal with it later if someone saw him.

A he neared, he could then hear Jared’s father yelling helplessly from the sidelines. Thankfully the man had been smart enough to stay out of the physical confrontation.

By the time Sam had gotten there, Jonah was shaking like an epileptic locked in a Grand Mal as Jared continued to drive punches into his torso. He’d already broken two of his brother’s ribs, his nose and jaw, his left collarbone, and fractured his right wrist where Jonah‘d apparently tried to block the onslaught. His face was barely recognizable at that point, and Sam could only pray that he would phase soon or the scarring might become permanent. As it stood, he feared for a punctured lung as he wrapped both arms around the younger male Wolf and attempted to yank him off his brother.

 ** _“Jared, get your shit together_** ,” Sam bellowed in his ear, the Alpha tone ringing through his voice… only to be tossed over the now broken table to land painfully on his ass, his head having smacked off doorframe as he’d flown. He shook his head to clear before turning and seeing Jared’s sister, Naomi, standing by the door, wringing her hands, her face pinched with worry and a healthy dose of fear. “Go get Call and the Roark twins! Hurry!”

Naomi jumped when he all but yelled at her, then nodded once to show she’d heard him and peeled out the door as if responding to her own Alpha order.

He had only a fraction of a second to wonder why it hadn’t worked on her brother, before he’d leapt in again, teeth gritted as he’d wrapped his body around the other shifter’s and tried to use his greater mass to hold him down. He’d attempted to lock his forearm across Jared’s throat to try and choke him out and had received a nasty bite for his efforts.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Sam had ground out between clenched teeth as Jared bucked wildly under him in an attempt to get back to his brother.

_Jesus, and people wondered how Jared and Paul could possibly be related?_

Thankfully, the door had flown open just then and his pack mates, along with a newly cleared Shay, raced for their struggling Alpha. The twins had neatly flipped Jared onto his stomach and sat on him while Sam rubbed his hands across his back and through his hair in an effort to calm him, occasionally pulling back when Jared snapped at him, a low, feral growl rumbling up his throat as he lay pinned and still struggling. Embry had taken one look to assess the situation and then bolted to fetch Kim, their best bet on soothing the Wolf back to sanity.

Shay had gone to check on Jonah, when the boy’s eyes had snapped open, a whining snarl escaping his broken lips as he assumed a painfully familiar posture. “Uh, guys…this one’s about to go.”

Sam looked up just in time to see Jonah hunching on his knees, arms wrapped about his broken body. His mother had begun creeping closer, having shaken loose of her husband’s protective grasp, unable to sit back now that her younger son was clear of the older. “Shay, get her away!”

Shay had just barely enough time to snatch the poor woman up and get out of the way as Jonah screamed and phased for the first time. The sickening sounds of breaking and reforming bones echoed hollowly in the spacious kitchen as he twisted and howled in pain, his clothing littering the floor in rags. Then more ripping filled the air as Jared phased as well while Sam’s attention was diverted, biting and clawing at anyone close enough to reach before writhing free and leaping at his brother yet again.

Thankfully Macey and his brother, two of the largest Wolves in the pack, leaped up and tackled him bodily to the ground while Sam readied himself yet again to hold the raging Wolf at bay.

A well timed Alpha order had locked the newest shifter into place, panting, pained little whines breaking free intermittently.

Apparently, Naomi had a better head on her shoulders then Sam had accounted for, because she’d already called Kim and the girl had been racing towards the Cameron house. She only lived a handful of streets away so she wasn’t far off when Embry found her. Embry had simply scooped her up into his arms without a word, his longer stride quickly eating up the distance. Bare minutes later, she was in the kitchen and skidding onto her knees as she approached her maddened mate, effortlessly drawing Jared’s attention away from his brother with quiet words and an unnerving lack of fear. Her arms slid around the now rapidly quieting Wolf’s thick neck, fingers gently raking through his hackles.

Jared deflated so quickly, Sam could hardly believe it. It was like someone had yanked the Mr. Hyde out of Dr. Jekyll by the scruff of his neck. His eyes never left his brother, but he stopped baring his teeth every time Jonah growled in protest. Finally he was calm enough to phase back, reaching for a dish towel to preserve a bit of his modesty in front of his family. His father reached out a shaking hand and helped his eldest from the floor.

Years ago, when Benjamin Cameron had been a boy, he’d been told the legends just like every other child. But he’d assumed that they were just old tales told by even older men. Little did he know that he was a carrier of the Wolf gene. Luckily, Sam had informed him of the likelihood that his son might soon experience this huge, life-altering change. His calm, even tempered son had coasted through the change like a duck takes to water, despite the warnings of his son becoming dangerous to be around.

When he noticed the signs beginning in his youngest, he had unwisely assumed the transition would be the same. Instead, his younger son had become an utter fool.

He constantly bad-mouthed Jared, and for the most part, Jared calmly brushed the barbs aside. Until the day he had imprinted on Kim, finally giving Jonah a chink in his brother’s armor. Ben had been shocked at the depths Jonah had sunk to in his attempts to piss off his brother. In all honesty, he had never imagined such filth could come out of one person’s mouth. No amount of punishment could curb him, and he’d tried everything short of beating the boy.

And if he were going to be truthful, if some man had said things about his wife like Jonah had said of Kim, Ben doubted he would have been able to restrain himself. That his fool of a son had finally gotten what he’d been begging for…well, he’d picked a fight with a lupine Shape Shifter as a human. He could only be thankful that Jared had settled for beating him broken and bloody instead of going straight for the jugular and killing him. While his thoughts were seemingly callous, Ben was a realist and the awful truth was he had lost control of his youngest son. And frankly, after witnessing the predatory strength within Jared, he felt enormously relieved he wasn’t currently arranging to put one son in the ground and the other behind bars.

_He did not envy Sam the task of corralling him…not at all…_

Sam had watched warily as Kim slowly encouraged her mate into the other room, followed by Embry just because he wasn’t willing to chance leaving him alone, before turning back to Jonah, who had continued to snarl futilely under the debilitating command. An addendum to that command had locked his now healed jaws shut as the twins hefted Jonah into the air to carry the pissed boy out into the woods where he could be dealt with by the rest of his new pack.

As they disappeared through the tree-line, Sam took the moment of blessed silence to assess the severity of the pounding in his head and whether or not he was gonna puke. Quiet murmurings filtered through his ears, both from Kim and Jared, and from Ben to his wife and daughter. The man still looked a bit pale, but he gave Sam a wan smile and a nod as Sam lifted a brow in question as to their well-being.

He suspected he had an even stauncher supporter in Benjamin Cameron than ever before. He’d made a point to inform the man of the signs he had remembered in himself as he’d endured his first Phase. He’d not been at all surprised when the man hadn’t believed him and so had convinced Ben to follow him out into the woods for proof. He’d been rather impressed when the Elder neither fainted nor screamed as Sam stood yards from him, a pure black Wolf that stood as tall as a horse.

It left him far readier to accept the possibility in his own son.

Sitting on the kitchen floor, Sam had found himself slitting his eyes against the sunlight. Then a gentle hand slowly placed an icepack on the side of his head. Mercy Cameron gently smiled at him through her own dazed eyes. Her hand smoothed a damp cloth down the side of his face, wiping away the smears of blood he hadn’t even known he’d shed. He smiled in thanks before attempting to get his feet under himself, but she placed her other hand on his shoulder to stop him

“You took a bad blow to the head, honey. Besides…my son can stand to wait a few more minutes.”

That action in itself told him how bad Jonah had gotten, because Mercy was a great deal like his own mother, truly kind unless pushed past her limits.

Sam thought about it for less than a second before slumping back down onto the floor with a groan. Because she was right. Once an Alpha order had been enacted, it was unbreakable, and lying still with his eyes closed helped to diminish the slamming pain behind his eyes.

Laying there, though, left him time to remember that he’d been unable to find Jacob. He’d called both his cell phone and landline with neither yielding positive results. Billy had no idea where his son was, and Jacob had apparently disappeared from the house roughly around the time he was due for running patrols.

_Damn…he’d been hoping like hell to avoid having to make this call._

Holding the icepack to his head, Sam sighed and reached into his pocket, genuinely surprised his phone was still in one piece. Flipping it open, he waited resignedly for it to ring through. He couldn’t help the sudden feeling of dread, however, as if he were about to set something in motion that couldn’t be taken back.

“Talk.”

Well, the first hurdle had been cleared, at least he’d answered. His tone was only slightly hostile, another plus. “I need you to come back and run a patrol.”

There was a slight delay, as if the request were actually being considered. After a moment’s pause, the tone came across the line cool and dismissive, “No. Not happening.”

Sam could practically feel him about to hang up and jumped to grab his attention before he could do so, desperation creeping into his voice. “Wait! We’re short a wolf.” Sam had hesitated, not wanting to fan the flames between the two further, but he was above all honest. “Jacob is AWOL. He was supposed to be running with Shay.”

There was a pregnant silence from the other end for seconds that felt like an eternity. Sam bit his lip, because this was a different kind of silence. It had the quality he’d seen before, if rarely, when Paul’s entire body screamed violence… He’d actually found himself fighting off a shiver at the wicked anticipation in the tone as Paul finally answered. “Then I suggest you find him. Before I do.”

Sam heard a shuffling in the background, then Paul’s voice once more came over the line. Sam could have cheered outright at the diminished hostility in the tone if his head hadn’t of felt like a whole family of dwarves were clog-dancing inside his skull. “You’ll owe me. This is my first shift off in more than forty-eight hours.”

Sam almost didn’t want didn’t want to ask, but he wouldn’t make an open ended deal. This would have been a grand time to be able to pull a functional Alpha order out of his ass, but fate was still giving him the bird, it seemed. “What do you want?”

“I have Sunday off at the club. I don’t want to run patrol that night either.”

It seemed like a mild request. Sam couldn’t see the harm in it, because Bella had already made her point and so was highly unlikely to resort to the same actions again, especially once Sam revoked Jacob’s days off for next month for ditching a shift. That Jacob’s next Sunday off happened to be the same day Paul had requested was just icing on a very delicious cake, because Sam would actually enjoy rubbing it in the little twit’s face for once that he was no better than anyone else.

_Sue him, he was still human…mostly._

Or it might also be that he was harboring a bit of anger towards his second in command. He’d questioned Bella quietly as he walked her out to her truck as to what had set her off so badly, and when she’d hesitantly admitted that Jacob had grabbed her wrist and held her against her will, even for those few moments? Well, Sam was fit to be tied. He’d been intending on having a little talk with the boy this morning about restraining females. A tiny, shameful part of him almost hoped that Paul _did_ find him while out patrolling, because the older Wolf wasn’t required to give him a pass on being an uppity little shit. His tongue could be almost as cutting as his claws.

“Deal.”

“Thirty minutes.”

Then there was a dial-tone.

Sam took a few more moments to enjoy the icepack before finally heaving himself to his feet. Nodding at the Cameron’s, he made his way slowly through the woods via the path made by the others as they’d carted Jonah off, slung over their shoulders like dead weight. 

Jacob’s absence was actually a growing problem.

If it was accidental, it showed a lack of regard for his people and his birthright. It would be a black mark in his campaign to one day take over the pack. Time off was fine, Sam needed a day or two to himself every once in a while, but to fail to so much as call in when he’d been on the roster was unacceptable.

If, however, Jacob had done it on purpose…that was another story entirely.

_That this had happened the day after Bella had finally put him in his place was a bit suspicious._

And it would warrant a pretty severe penalty…something that would show Jacob that he was not above everybody else.

Once he was clear of any prying eyes, Sam stripped down and Phased, trotting at a faster clip as he was suddenly bombarded by the thoughts/feeling/memories of the newest addition to his collection of furry lunatics. It was a never ending litany of questions, curses, and insults as Jonah mentally thrashed in an attempt to free himself. He didn’t understand why his limbs no longer worked, nor why his mouth refused to allow him to snap at the hands holding him.

 _YOUFUCKINGASSHOLESLETMEGOWHATTHEFUCKDIDYOUDOTOME??_ Jonah’s thoughts ran together in a one long line, persistent and only growing in volume as Sam came to a stop just feet from his face as he lay slumped on the ground. His limbs sprawled inelegantly across the dirt as Sam decided to wait him out before attempting to get him under control. Talking him down to the point of phasing back at this point in time would be an exercise in futility because he was far too worked up. Nor would explaining to him about how an Alpha command workes, because he suspected Jonah was currently beyond hearing any kind of reason.

Sam rolled his amber eyes as Jonah continued his ceaseless ranting.

_God, how did Jared ever put up with this whiney little prick?_

“ _Heard that, Boss-man_ ,” Pierce chortled as he and his brother Phased in. Sam just groaned and swiped a paw down the side of his face in exasperation. He hadn’t intended for that to be out loud, and could only be thankful that Jonah was too busy bellyaching to even notice that there were other minds linked to his own. The last thing he needed at this point was to have Jonah bitching at him instead of just in general.

There was a snapping of underbrush as Shay slowly nosed his way into the tiny clearing. The darkly golden Wolf finally settled on his haunches a respectable distance from the rest of them.

_LETMEUPYOUBASTARDSLETMEGOYOUWAITUNTILMYDADHEARSABOUTTHIS!!!_

_Seriously?_

He was seventeen years old and going to play the daddy card? Sam rolled his eyes again, watching as this time even Shay wrapped his paws over his muzzle in an attempt to hide his sniggering.

Figuring he should utilize their time to accomplish something productive, Sam finally spoke to the new wolf. _“Want to explain to me why I found Jared attempting to beat you through the kitchen floor?”_

Sam braced himself just in time for the flood of memories and emotions that came through the pack mind. It was like priming a pump, all it took was a simple nudge, and it all came out. At first, it was colored by the bias of the memories’ owner, his version of how the fight had come about, but Sam could see flashes of the truth.

He forced himself to bury his response to this newbie calling his sister such undeserved names.

Then came everything else…from the supposed favoritism regarding their _precious_ eldest son and his calling to protect their tribe, to the lack of punishments when Jared broke the most minor of rules, such as curfew and phone calls at the dinner table. More serious rules such as underage drinking and girls in the bedroom were summarily broken in a seemingly endless escalation of partiality.

Sam could easily read between the lines…

Underneath it all was simple one-sided sibling-rivalry. One fostered by his jealousy of his easy going brother who used to collect friends like other’s collected baseball cards and pleased his parents simply by existing. His little sister Naomi walked on eggshells around him because he lived for pushing her around. He lied, cheated, occasionally stole and tattled over the smallest of infractions.

Because in the end, Jonah was a bully.

Which brought them to the present as the sun slowly burned the skies a fiery red. Finally, the latest wolf began to relax into his new situation. His thoughts settled into a coherent, linear thread that one could track were one wishing to do so. Granted they mostly centered around a desire for freedom from his current captivity, which was fair given his current situation.

_“You ready to try Phasing back?”_

_“Fuck you,”_ came the petulant response.

Sam shrugged, a strange looking gesture while in lupine form, before circling a few times and settling on the ground, head pillowed on his paws. _“No problem. I can always use a nap.”_

Macey snorted in amusement before playfully head-butting his brother to urge him to the ground, then following suit after his Alpha. _“Wake us up when he’s pulled his head out of his ass, Boss.”_

There was a resounding silence as Jonah digested the spectacular lack of fucks given by his new packmates. His mind, now an open book, cycled like a hamster in a wheel as he tried to figure out a way to request help without actually asking. To ask would be like admitting that he was weaker than they were.

Now, Sam had his asshole moments. He would even admit to them without shame. But it was beyond even him to force another to stay in a form they did not want, especially as staying in that form would necessitate the continuation of the Alpha commanded paralytic state.

_“The easiest way to figure out how to phase back is to close your mind off to all outside stimuli and concentrate on what it feels like to be human.”_

_“Easy for you to say,” Jonah bitched. “You already know how.”_

_“We’ve all been where you are right now, you little wanktard,”_ Pierce stated cheerfully. _“Suck it up and open your ears.”_

Jonah sent a wave of hostility at the older wolf, causing him and his brother to chortle in glee.

If Sam had been human, he would have face-palmed. Those two could incite a saint to cast aside their vows of peace and commit bloody murder. _“Not helping, guys.”_

 _“Sorry, Boss,_ ” came the harmonized response.

Sam eyed them to make certain they were going to keep their traps shut, before continuing. _“Look, just search through Shay’s mind. He’s the newest other than you, so it the memory should still be fairly near the surface.”_

 _“Search through his mind?! How the fuck do I do that?”_ Jonah’s voice was scornful and just a bit panicked.

Sam blinked. Something about the question was seriously off and was tripping his warning bells. _“He’s thinking about it right now. Just watch.”_

There was another brief pause, then _“I don’t know what the hell all of you are smoking! I can’t see shit other than the trees in front of my freaking face. If you want to try an’ screw with someone’s head, go do it elsewhere…and FUCKING LET ME GO!_

Sam ground his teeth and buried his face under his paws. He’d been wrong before… _this_ was the very last thing he needed.


	10. I'm In Love With My Car - Queen

Idly ruffling the pages of her notebook, Bella came to the painfully obvious conclusion that she was a coward. After all, Bella was so frazzled she hadn’t even managed to make eye contact with the lunch ladies in order to refuse the notoriously suspicious mashed potatoes. This sudden revelation might, just might, have been due to the fact that she had just realized she had been hiding behind Angela for the entire day.

_Didn’t anything interesting ever happen in this school that didn’t involve Bella?_

The Queen Bitch and her Running Mate had pouring fuel on the gossip flames surrounding Bella’s apparent appeal to unattainable men.  While the gossip mill might have eventually died down regarding the spectacle of Paul’s appearance the previous week at school, someone had managed to spot Paul’s motorcycle outside of Bella’s house Sunday.

An uncharitable part of Bella wondered if maybe somebody had made a form of profit off the information for it to have spread so quickly. Because honestly? Why was it such a big deal for a young woman to be associating with a young man?? It wasn’t like Bella and Paul had been caught in flagrante delicto. And Bella sure wasn’t in any ‘delicate condition’ like what’s-her-face from last year.

Thank God nobody knew about Mike attempting to corner her in the Men’s bathroom. Groaning at the thought, Bella couldn’t even imagine what life would have been like inside of Fork’s very own soap opera. Then again, Bella realized she would probably be sitting in a court room defending her Father’s honor if anyone else had discovered her presence in the lavatories.

Finally, the last ten minutes of class showed their faces, the second hand ticking excruciatingly slowly around the clock. Bella felt Angela gently nudge her, before subtly passing her a note. _You okay?_

_I hate that I had to freaking hide all day. I hate that Lauren is trying to air my business to the student body. There’s nothing there, except a favor done for a friend. And I hate this class! I love Math…I don’t know why they teach Geometry in Math class…it’s just SHAPES!_

Angela stifled a giggle, thankfully well enough to avoid drawing the teacher’s attention.

 _Thanks for being my human shield for the day, btw._ That last was drawn beside a hasty sketch of Angela as Wonder Woman, hiding a cowardly little Bella behind her back. The girl was one of the first to discover and encourage her hobby.

Angela just winked and patted Bella’s knee.

Still, she felt like the worst sort of chicken, and when the bell finally rang, Bella hugged Angela and peeled out the door as if she’d been shot from a canon.

Already in a bad mood due to her internal diatribe and beginning the Great Migration to her poor Bess parked all the way at the back of the lot, Bella could not keep the scowl off her face as that same stupid little red Toyota cut sharply around a corner near her baby. While Bess would never suffer any significant damage if the idiot managed to collide with her frame, the sheer indignity of having to remove the little plastic bits left after an accident was not something the grand old dame should have to endure.

Shaking her fist at the rapidly retreating bumper, Bella tripped over a freaking _line_ painted on the asphalt and stumbled backwards into a warm body. A heavy arm came down and wrapped snugly across her shoulders, holding her steady against a well-balanced form as she yelled into the distance in a futile attempt at chastising the unrepentant driver.

“Problem?” The tone was low and shiver-inducing, and on a normal day, Bella might have been struck mute as she usually was when confronted with its owner, but today…? Bella was far too caught up in being peeved-off to notice as she scowled at the maniac driver who whipped around a corner and finally disappeared from sight. “Only until I finally flatten his stupid little Barbie Car,” she growled with an aggravated curl of her lip.

A rough chuckle vibrated through the broad form pressed up against her back, abruptly dragging her back to reality. Bella blinked slowly as the sensation of that big, hard body pressed firmly along her spine sent warm chills skittering over every inch of her- from her toes which curled in tightly in her boots, all the way up to her scalp which tingled at his touch as he reached up and gently squeezed his fingers against the base of her skull in an effort to release the tension that had gathered with her frustration.

Hoping like heck that he didn’t take note of the shiver of pleasure his touch induced, she slowly turned to look up over her shoulder at a mildly amused Were in silver shades. One side of that gorgeous mouth was tipped up, displaying a dimple as he gazed back down at her now blushing face.

 “Uh…hi?”

“Bella?” Her name being called from off to the side caused Bella to startle.

Oh…crap.

Bella tries to escape school with no incident. Check.

Bella unknowingly causesincident. Check.

Bella gets gawked at by what looks like all of the student body. Check and underline to infinity!

Bella groaned and sagged against Paul, momentarily misplacing the little fact that he was still holding her against his body amongst all the other little unwanted facts filtering into her conscious.

Like the point that Bella was once more a target for gossip-mongers. Sure, it wasn’t really his fault, but the fact remained that yet again Bella was fodder for gossip because the Shifter had her wound up in his arms and pulled tight against his too-perfect-to-be-real body. She was, again, on display like an actor on a stage for her peers viewing pleasure.

So it came as a bit of a surprise when no one made any kind of comment.

Looking back at Paul in question, Bella came up short. It was something she’d seen before…that look of ‘come get some’. It was cold and calculating, like the most wicked of dares. He was a predator in the most obvious fashion; the type that would kill you and wallow in your blood with gleeful abandon.

Suddenly, she wasn’t terribly shocked by the swiftly dwindling crowd. It would take a lot more than some green teenagers to stand up to that kind of challenge. “You must make one hell of a bouncer.”

His lips tipped up into a smile that was almost sinister as his voice dropped into a scary-sexy growl. “Flattered.”

His overall mien finally chased off the last of the hold-outs, and Bella watched as Jessica shuddered, before dragging a gapping Lauren away by the arm, both of them peeking back over their shoulders as if the Devil himself might be on their designer heels.

“Freaking finally! I thought those two were gonna handcuff themselves to me in an effort to get the latest scoop. I mean really, there’s nothing to tell! So Sam sends you to pick me up and suddenly it’s like Jerry Springer around here! And you should have heard those two going on about _you_! ‘Like, Oh Em Gee!’ And yes they freaking spelled it out! ‘Did you see that new guy Bella’s been hanging out with? I don’t know why everyone always bothers with the loner chick?’ Oh, I wonder, maybe its cause I have functioning brain cells?”

His smile flipped back to lazy. “They’re gone…chill.”

Bella scowled. “I’d love to, but my air-conditioner is still busted,” she snarked back.

He chuckled. “’s why I’m here.”

She instantly lost all the hostility brought on by her bitch of a day. “Wait, what? Really?”

“Well, considering little Jakey has been using _all_ his spare time, lately, with attempting to stab me to death with his eyes?” He smirked, dimples cutting deep as if far more amused by Jacob’s glares than bothered.

Bella couldn’t help the little snigger of laughter, even if it _was_ at Jacob’s expense. She felt a little mean, like she should be standing up for the other boy, but everything said was likely true. And…the heat wave was predicted to last UNTIL THE END OF THE FREAKING WORLD. If Jacob wasn’t going to help her after promising her that he would, then that left her free to accept help anywhere she could find it, even if it were offered by someone that would make Jacob even pissier.

Mentally shrugging, Bella looked around, but failed to spot that huge beautiful monster he typically rode. “How’d you get here, anyway?”

“Walked. Work isn’t too far from here.”

Bella lifted a teasingly sarcastic brow. “Not too far for someone like me? Or for someone like you?”

“Well, you and your short little legs might not make it, but…” he slowly trailed off with an upward kick of his left brow as the rest implied itself.

Bella spluttered at him as she reached up and gently poked him in the chest as if indignant, privately pleased that he was joking so easily with her. Watching that smile, the one that was carefree and playful and lacking in all violence and hunger, was a pleasure to behold.

“Do we need to pick up any tools to get this done, or would the normal things found in a typical gear-head’s garage suit you” Bella asked, still smiling.

“My house has everything we’d need,” he suggested. “No looking for tools required.”

It was a fair point, because while Charlie liked to have a bit of everything, he was terrible about sorting it all out neatly. That he’d offered his own house, when she knew for a fact that he rarely invited _anyone_ over, well that gave her a mild thrill of acceptance. “Sounds good…just…well…I know that you didn’t sign up for it, but…”she stammered, gearing herself up for a refusal.

He canted his head to the side, waiting for her to spit it out.

“Couldyouteachmehow?”

His brows pulled together in contemplation. “Would take less time as a solo job.”

When he didn’t immediately shoot her down, Bella hastened to plead her case. “Oh, I know that! But it’s not about the time, at least not for me. Bess is kinda my baby, and to be able to say that I did it myself would be really cool! My dad is always talking about showing me the ins and outs of cars, and Jacob attempts it every once and a while, but he gets bored because he wants to rush things and get them done.”

She knew she was babbling, but couldn’t help herself. “I want to eventually rehab her completely, but I want to be taught to do it myself and not have someone else do it all for me. I know there will be some things I _can’t_ do myself, but the things I can? Well,” she finally wound down, unsure of the expression on his face and what it might mean. “So…can you teach me?”

“Never been a teacher,” he finally said. “S’pose it couldn’t hurt to give it a try.”

Bella could have hugged the man if they weren’t out in a place where it might make fodder for more gossip. Who knows, maybe the freakin’ Hubble was spying on her at this point? She had no idea, all she knew was that it all felt so invasive.

Almost dancing in anticipation, she had plucked her keys from her pocket and was moving towards the driver’s side door, when she remembered all the times the guys in the Pack had thrown minor fits over being asked to ‘ride bitch’ as they called it. Now, Bella didn’t really care _who_ drove…in most circumstances. But when Bess was the vehicle in question, she had become a bit stingy about her potential drivers. Until she had a basic working knowledge of their possible skill set, it was a big no-go.

Paul was an unknown entity. All she knew of his abilities was that he knew how to drive a motorcycle and could likely beat the utter shit out of anyone who pissed him off.

She had no wish to offend him over seating choices, and was just gearing herself up for a potential upset, when he moved to the passenger side of the truck and casually swung himself up onto the bench-seat. Bella watched with a touch of surprise as he closed the door with an almost gentle click, so very different from everyone else who had ever ridden in her truck before. They all slammed the door the first few times, as if the size of the truck indicated a need for a violent swinging of the door to close it properly. Even her father had to be reminded now and again that while the door was heavy, it did not need to be wrenched into place.

She couldn’t help but smile at the respect Paul had just paid the admittedly ancient Chevy. He’d never know how much that tiny gesture meant to her, in her world of testosterone-driven males, where with no need for gentility, he’d shown it none-the-less.

Bella was still smiling as she stepped around to the driver’s seat and pulled herself up next to Paul.

She couldn’t even really begin to explain her excitement over tonight’s undertaking. Bella _hated_ being written off as an incapable girl, and so counted it as a minor victory that she had gotten her passenger to agree to _teach_ her to repair the truck. She’d never minded getting her hands dirty, as proven by the numerous mud-pies she’d created as a child. Cooking wasn’t exactly a clean undertaking either, and she tended to be a bit messy; she practically lived with pencil-smudged fingers some days due to her drawing. Motor oil and engine grease would be a change, but it just felt like an exciting new medium to get dirty with.

Unaware of her train of thought, he glanced at her mutilated dash, then turned toward her with a look of inquiry.

Bella bit her lip as her face flushed in embarrassment. “I took offence at the memories it represented.”

“…and murdered it?”

“It was that or vent my rage via baseball bat and I was worried about Bess’ virtue.”

Paul’s lips curved with amusement. “Fair enough.” Pulling out his phone, he hit the home button. “Find the closest Auto-Zone.” The British male version of Siri’s voice, the one she had affectionately dubbed Simon, listed off the closest locations.

Bella glanced at him while parked at a red light. “You can do wiring?”

He smile deepened momentarily as he glanced at her. “I’m good with my hands.”

Bella grinned as she gunned the engine as the light turned green. “Wonderful! I’ve been meaning to get that replaced.”

>}:{<

“This one right here?” Bella stood on a small step-ladder as she bent over the open hood of her truck. She pointed at a small bolt set deeply in a coil of other things that all looked rather important.

Paul handed her a wrench with a smile, watching her as she carefully reached into Bess’ guts and tightened the indicated bolt. He stood just behind her, arms braced loosely on either side of her body against the nose of the truck, acting as a guardrail against her infamous clumsiness. After watching her turn the wrench with a tiny grunt of effort, he reached around and tested the bolt. He gave the wrench a tiny tug, did one last check of the part she’d just finished installing, and nodded in satisfaction. “Good Job.”

Bella smiled at him with the delight of success as she stood there in a shirt that reached to her knees, covered in engine grease up to the elbows with black streaks smeared slightly across her cheek and forehead.

They had been in his garage for hours now, bent over the front of her truck as Paul pointed out the bits she could help with and explained the other bits that she couldn’t. He never made her feel useless for her less than supernatural strength, simply worked patiently around her. Far more patiently, in fact, than Jacob had ever been when trying to entice her interest in his favorite pastime. It wasn’t that she’d never been curious, but her best friend was like most boys, and quickly lost interest in teaching when faced with the utter ignorance of his student.

She reached in and carefully settled a piece of the new air-conditioning unit into place, bolting it down as well, before bending further over the open compartment to see where she needed to drag the ladder next. Finding a likely target, she accepted a hand as she stepped down and dragged the ladder around behind her.

The first knock to the kitchen door was so faint, Bella could scarcely hear it over the bass of the stereo. She turned, catching Paul’s eyes curiously. He shrugged, listening, his pale eyes narrowing under the black slashes of his brows. When there was nothing but silence, he shrugged and bent back to their task.

The second knock caused him to roll his eyes with irritation and reach for a rag to wipe his hands off. “Be right back. Shouldn’t take long,” he rumbled as if he knew exactly who was at his door and had already determined that it wasn’t terribly important.

>}:{<

Sam blinked as the door was thrown open, an irritable Paul filling the frame. Those cold eyes watched him with unblinking intensity, one brow hiked in question.

_Jesus, Sam hated those eyes…_

They seemed to see everything. Cutting through thoughts and feelings with cold precision, feeling them raking over him was always a very unpleasant sensation. This time, they demanded the reason for Sam’s presence in his home.

“We found Jacob.”

The bastard’s lips twisted with malicious amusement. “I take it he was hiding in the woods?”

Sam wanted to defend Jacob, but it was the truth. Jacob had decided that he needed a day off to contemplate the previous night’s upset and since he was Alpha-in-training, he didn’t need to bother telling anyone. In his mind, there were more than enough Wolves to cover his absence, so letting one cover his shift shouldn’t have been a problem. He’d never mentally accommodated for the possibility that Jared might lose his shit with his brother, a circumstance that understandably worried Sam. Especially considering the fight that had occurred between the brothers two days previous.

He’d been all kinds of apologetic when he’d heard what had happened, but he’d still felt he’d been in the right…till Sam had gleefully stomped all over his parade with his size fourteen’s.

Jacob had been furious when he had been informed of his impending punishments, the first of which meant the loss of his free time. For the next month, he would be running at least one shift a day, allowing the younger twins, Collin and Brady, to get caught up on their school-work. The second punishment had yet to be determined at that time, but Sam had finally come to an appropriate method of reparation on the walk over here.

“He decided to take a day off. On the Canadian border. For the entirety of his shift.”

Paul snorted contemptuously, gesturing for Sam to come in as he moved to the sink to wash what looked like engine grease from his hands, the sharp tang of it temporarily overriding the older Wolf’s usually keen sense of smell. “This about Bella?”

Sam grunted and took a seat at the bar, carefully fielding the beer the other tossed at him from the refrigerator, tapping the tab against the lid to release any possible pressure. “I’m honestly not sure where his head is at, other than up his obnoxious little ass. You’d think he had enough on his plate, what with him being groomed to take over the Pack. That he took the time to run off and play hooky makes me wonder as to his dedication.” He popped the tab and took a deep drink, feeling his muscles relaxing from the tension for the first time in days. He neglected to mention the terror he’d felt that _Paul_ might actually find the little shit before he did. There would have been pieces of the Chief’s son spread all over the reservation.  

Thankfully, that hadn’t happened. Paul had parked his bike in Sam’s driveway, taken off into the woods, then ran Jacob’s patrol with a tight-lipped irritation that boded ill for the boy who’d caused him to run it. That he was exhausted and running on pure hostility was even worse, and Sam had decided, during those hours it took for Jonah to shift back, that Jacob would be running shifts as far from Paul as he could manage while still keeping them on the same reservation. “But yeah...this current little fit is all about Bella. Did you know that he actually asked for permission to _order_ you to stay away from her? Said he’d never miss another shift as long as he didn’t have to worry about you being around her.”

Paul didn’t say a word, simply took a pull off of his beer and watched Sam with sardonically lifted brows. 

Sam sighed. “Yeah, I thought that’s what you’d say.”

That faintly goading smirk curled the corners of the taller Were’s lips.

“Cause I imagine telling him that he’d only get one shot at it would go over _so_ well.” It was the only time Sam had ever alluded to what had happened that night months ago in the bar.

Paul’s smirk twisted momentarily into something dark and vicious, giving Sam pause for a moment. That look always spelled trouble, but he was just not in the headspace to deal with it at present. “Anyway, he told me that he just needed time to get over Bella’s using you to get back at him. Now I have to go tell Jacob that the other part of his punishment for bailing on his shift and his responsibilities to his people, his pack, and his best friend involves-“

The door to the garage suddenly slammed open and a red-faced Bella stomped through, her little Doc Marten’s clomping across the hardwood floors with aggressive intent, dressed in a shirt that was so completely huge it could have passed as a dress. “Did I just hear that Jacob ditched his patrol because he was off pouting about _me_?”

Sam gawked and spluttered a bit, taken aback by her presence. The scents of motor oil, engine grease, and _Paul_ had completely concealed his little sister’s. But his lack of comprehensible response in no way hindered _her_.

“Are you kidding me?! So I sat with Paul instead of him…big freaking deal!” Bella was in fine form, ranting and tossing her hands as she continued, “I’m not a puppy that he gets to get jealous over if it sits in someone else’s lap! He doesn’t get to yank my collar and call me a bad girl when I don’t roll over if he tries to command me.”

_Damn, was she ever pissed…_

Not that Sam really blamed her, after hearing what Jake had pulled in his kitchen. 

“And he doesn’t get to ditch what amounts to a freaking life-calling if we have an argument!”

Sam simply blinked at her, completely nonplussed. He wasn’t sure what shocked him more…that Bella was throwing a tantrum, or that the tantrum’s target was her life-long best friend. Or that she was standing in Paul’s kitchen, wearing what looked like one of his shirts.

“I’m not sure what’s worse,” she went on, “that he left his people unprotected, or that he did it because he was being a childish _poop-head_ who couldn’t stand that I didn’t bow to his supposed greater knowledge!”

Sam heard what sounded like a snort of laughter come from the direction of the kitchen where Paul was leaning against a countertop, his shoulders jerking suspiciously. His eyes glittered with mischief that Sam found himself sharing as Bella accidentally swatted him in the arm in passing. He was forced to smother a grin because…it actually _was_ kinda cute watching her like this. She was usually far too conscientious about keeping her negative opinions to herself. She could stand to let loose like this more often.

“I really hope his punishment makes the point, because this crap can’t happen again,” she finally finished with a huff.

Sam was also deeply touched that she took this issue so personally…while not making it personal. It was a strange differentiation, because the original issue so very pointedly involved Bella. But the outcome affected everyone, and that is what she took issue with. The fact that he had used her to leave others vulnerable to attack was a terrible thing to leave on anyone’s conscience. It was bad enough that she had that raging loony of a red-head after her. Anyone that she killed in the area would also be on Bella’s head if one were to ask the girl.

She finally took a breath and settled onto the stool next to Sam’s, catching the Pepsi Paul underhanded in her direction, along with a rag to wipe her hands clean. Watching her tap the tab against the can made Sam smile to himself, because he was pretty sure she had picked that little gesture up from him and was unaware of it. Reaching back, he dug his fingers into the tense muscles of her neck, watching her fondly as she relaxed against his touch.

“Whatcha got goin’ on in the garage?” Sam hoped like hell he was being subtle in questioning her presence, because he had no desire to bring her wrath down on himself.

“Oh. Well, Jacob was supposed to help me by putting the new air-conditioner into Bess, but he’s acting like a spoilt brat and left me in the lurch. Paul was kind enough to offer assistance, and when he saw the…situation with the radio, he offered to help me put in a new one. It was really nice of him,” she added, smiling at the Were in question.

“Not a problem.”

Sam bit his lower lip contemplatively before taking another gulp of his beer. “So…how long you two been hanging out?”

It never even occurred to her to be suspicious of the question.

“Well,” she started, absently picking at grit under her thumbnail, “this is the first time we’ve intentionally hung out together.”

“What do you mean by _intentionally_? You two were hanging out on Sunday night.”

“We’ve run _into_ each other a few times here and there. He saved me from a trip to the ER on Saturday. Don’t ask, “she said with a wave of her hand, “I can’t believe I even attempted it with my track record. But even Sunday was just a coincidence, I had no clue he would be at movie night. Overall, the only other time we’ve been around each other for any significant length was when Paul picked me up for school and even that only happened because I had to help him drive his bike to my house because he was…” and here Bella paused briefly, a slightly panicked look skittering over her face as she flicked her eyes towards Paul, “..tired. He was very tired.”

But Sam completely missed the blatant lie, caught up as he was on another detail. “ _You_ drove his bike?”

“He gave me permission,” she stated firmly, inwardly giddy that she had somehow managed to get around him.

Sam _knew_ that bike. It was huge, an absolute beast of a machine. It was also a freaking _heavy_ bitch at almost eight hundred lbs. That Bella claimed to have driven it was more than a bit suspicious, because she’d never have been able to balance it. The custom Yamaha was so far out of her weight class that it was a bit ridiculous. Sam had driven it once after Paul had asked him to drop it off and almost laid it down in the middle of the street. That Paul had allowed her to believe she could handle it on her own was even stranger.

Sam opened his mouth to comment, but Bella rode roughshod over him in an attempt to leave her near slip-up in the dust.

“ _Anyway_. We are just finishing up on the air-conditioner, and are just about to start on replacing the radio.”

Sam forced his brain to follow the abrupt jump in topic, leaving the oddity for later contemplation. Deciding to allow it for now, he scoffed playfully. “Are you saying little miss clumsy is playing mechanic? Some of those wires can be pretty delicate.”

Paul, who had moved closer, reached out and picked up one of her small, grime-incrusted hands. “She’s much better with her hands than you’d suspect.”

Bella, who had turned to grin up at Paul for the compliment, completely missed the look on Sam’s face.

It was pure _what-the-actual-fuck_? Because for a second, Sam wasn’t terribly sure he’d heard what he thought he had. Then Sam mentally smacked himself, because honestly, when had Paul _ever_ shown any kind of interest in a girl? No matter how impossibly beautiful the girl, Paul had sent them running for their emotional lives, proverbial tails between their legs.

He must have been imagining things…

 _However, he’d never shown an ounce of friendliness before now either,_ spouted an insidious little voice that Sam was perfectly willing to ignore.

Because Bella was happily moving about the kitchen without a care in the world. Paul was watching her with a smile that Sam had never seen on his face before. Amused and indulgent, as if he welcomed her presence where he’d never truly welcomed anyone else’s.

Paul could be an asshole on a good day. On a bad one? He could be a full-on nightmare to handle. And yet somehow, Bella had navigated his unsettling nature and found…a friend? Sam couldn’t bring himself to take that away from either them. Paul wasn’t displaying any kind of hostility, he was far more relaxed than usual, and so Sam would leave them alone for the time being. He’d just have to deal with Jake when it came to light.

Because if this situation progressed as he suspected it would, Bella would defend her right to choose her friends until the bitter end. And Paul? Well, he might just show the little Alpha-who-would that some things weren’t written in stone…Alpha by birth would mean shit in the face of someone who defied all the known rules.

But for now?

Bella turned back to Sam before gesturing for them both to follow her. “Come on, you two! I want to get this done. Sam, want to watch as we put the finishing touches on Bess?”

_Sam decided to bask in the contented atmosphere of two such unlikely Pack-members as he followed them from the room._


	11. Highway To Hell - ACDC

Sam had left hours ago when it became apparent that the two were stuck in their own little automotive world, heads bent together as Paul showed Bella how to wire the sound system into her car. He was walking out the door as they discussed picking up some speakers to better play the music Bella had missed in her Edward-induced funk and he was long gone when they began to make tentative plans for the next afternoon go see the movie that Jacob had ruined for her. Paul had no problem with the action flick, and had, in fact, been intending to go on his own anyway.

Now, perched behind the wheel, Bella turned the ignition key, smiling as the air-conditioner kicked on and blasted Bess’ cab with air. “ _Yessss_! I did it!” she crowed.

Paul, seated next to her on the bench seat, clicked on the radio as she cheered and tuned it to a rock station. The sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd playing _Sweet Home Alabama_ echoed through the quiet garage, picking up as she punched up the volume and threw her head back to sing along with the old classic.

When the song ended, Bella turned and looked sheepishly at her companion and shrugged. “Sorry, I always sing along to that one.”

“Doesn’t everyone,” he returned.

“Well, _you_ didn’t,” she pointed out.

“ _I’m_ not everyone,” he snarked with a faint smirk.

They were just cleaning up the mess of tools and wiring, when Bella realized how late it actually was. Charlie would be waiting for her to start dinner, because Tuesdays were established family dinner nights.

She’d gone to the bathroom to clean off all the grime she had accumulated and change back out of the shirt he’d kindly lent her, when her cellphone began to vibrate wildly.

“Hey Dad! Sorry I’m running a bit late, I was fixing Bess’ air-conditioner.”

“Not a problem, kiddo. Was just making sure you were gonna be on your way home soon.” Charlie’s voice was cheerful and Bella relaxed. She felt bad enough making him wait and if he was upset about it, she would have felt far worse. “Drive safe, and see ya when you get here.”

“Okay, see ya soon.” Bella hurried through scrubbing her face free of the black streaks, then pulled her shirt over her head and smoothed it down. She checked her reflection one last time for anything amiss, then grabbed her bag out of the hallway and hurried back to the garage.

“Sorry! I gotta go, Dad’s waiting for me and I still have to make dinner and cram for tomorrow’s tests.”

“No worries,” he replied. “We meeting at the theater?”

“Yeah, at four. I have exams all day tomorrow. Apparently the teachers felt that we weren’t paying enough attention and decided to test that theory.”

His lips quirked into the hint of a playful smile. “How fiendish.”

Bella snorted, but smiled as she trotted past him to shove her bag into the passenger seat then stepped closer to him and gently tugged him low enough to rub her cheek against his in farewell, inwardly thrilled when he returned the caress with an easy acceptance. She felt his fingers gently tug at her ponytail, before he released her and stepped back to hit the garage door switch.

Pulling herself up into her truck, Bella waited for to garage door to lift high enough before gunning the engine down his driveway. Looking out the window, she took a moment to once more admire the neatly built two story house. Set deep into the woods, it was a spacious log cabin style home with huge windows and an inviting wrap-around porch. He and a few of his co-workers had built it on land willed to him by his maternal grandparents. The land itself was just on the edge of La Push and no longer considered part of the tribal grounds.

He’d later added the workshop that she had yet to see, but had been promised access to at a later date, and after seeing the beautiful broadsword hung on the wall beside the door, she couldn’t help but admit to a burning curiosity. It had been such an intriguing piece of smithing, and so seemingly out of place in the forest home.

Driving down the narrow lane, Bella turned on her new radio and sang along with classic rock songs all the way to the edge of the reservation, enjoying the freedom of her solitude to sing as badly as she desired and miss lines if she so chose without anyone teasing or correcting her.

Bella let her mind wander as she drove, mentally going over what she needed to study and dusting off the back corners of her mind where she had stored the facts she had retained. Luckily, she was a well-organized individual and found that the night’s prospects weren’t quite as daunting as she had feared.

Pulling into her driveway thirty minutes later, Bella rushed up the front steps to the door. She accidentally fumbled her keys and dropped them, just as her father swung the door open with a small laugh. “Again?”

“Pfft. I still maintain that the keys are possessed and so it’s not my fault,” she stated haughtily with a lift of her chin. Seriously, she dropped the damned things at least once a day, if not more.

“Sure they are,” Charlie chuckled, grin mostly hidden behind his mustache. “Anyway, I just put dinner on the table, and you can,” he sniffed, taking in the scents of grease and oil, “maybe shower before we sit down for the game?”

Bella flushed with embarrassment. “Sorry, I got a little dirty, and…did you just say that you put dinner on the table?”

Charlie blushed faintly as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. You were right, YouTube actually _is_ good for something.”

When she’d gotten her laptop, Charlie had decided that he needed to transition into the technology age from the stone-age, even if it was just baby steps and so had gotten himself his own laptop.

Bella hurried towards the kitchen, then paused for a moment as she remembered her cramped evening schedule with disappointment. “I’d really love to watch the game, but the teachers got together and decided to declare war on the student body in the form of progress tests.”

Charlie’s brows crinkled with confusion. “Why?”

“Some of the kids were goofing around all semester and so the rest of us get to bear the brunt of their stupidity,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“Well, how are _your_ grades?” It wasn’t accusatory, just curious, so Bella didn’t bother with taking offence.

“A’s, both pluses and minuses. Don’t worry, I won’t have any problems with tomorrow,” Bella said with a grin as she sat in her chair. She mentally crossed her fingers, because she just _might_ be fibbing about Geometry class.

“That’s good, then. How are classes, overall? Anything interesting going on?”

“Not terribly,” she returned, loading up her fork with the delicious smelling manicotti. One quick bite later, and Bella was groaning her way through the rest of the shell with a happy quirk of her lips. “Dad, this is awesome!”

Charlie, flustered with her praise, began filling his own mouth so he wouldn’t have to find words for an immediate response. The silence was comfortable as they contentedly munched the delicious fare. And it would have continued, if Bella hadn’t of noticed that her father had begun to fidget as if he had something on his mind that he needed to get out.

Finally, he put down his fork with a dejected sigh. “So, there’s a conference in Seattle starting tomorrow. I was going to drive out after the game, but since you can’t watch it anyway, I might as well head out after dessert.”

“…isn’t that kinda short notice?”

“They forgot to call me and let me know, and wouldn’t you know that it’s mandatory? They’re loaning out a few officers to help hold down the fort while I’m gone, but I’ll be away till Sunday night.”

Bella’s face fell. They had been planning to redo her room that weekend, a kind of Father/Daughter project to officially settle her into the home that she had spent all too little time in as a child. The furniture store had been raided, paint had been bought, and the room’s contents just needed to be boxed and covered. Charlie claimed that they should have done it the week she moved in, but Bella shamefully acknowledged, even if only to herself, that she had been far too wrapped up in Edward even then.

Charlie reached out and awkwardly patted her hand. “We’ll get it done next weekend. Promise.”

“But your fishing trip with Harry and Billy-”

“They can wait, and both will understand,” he said with complete confidence. He only had one daughter, and he’d just gotten her, the _real_ her, back from wherever it was she had been hiding herself. He hated that he had to postpone their plans at all, but he hadn’t been given a choice.

Still disappointed, yet understanding the circumstances, Bella smiled. “Okay. Next weekend it is.”

Charlie smiled back before forking up another piece of pasta. He hated letting her down. He hated it even more when she was such a good sport about it. She wasn’t really the type to throw fits, which is why the one she’d thrown after she’d been encouraged to by that pasty little twat she’d insisted on dating had rung so false. The words she’d said had been incredibly hurtful…for about three seconds until he’d realized how scared she was. He’d recognized right then that she had thought she was protecting him from something. At that point, he’d known nothing of the supernatural and had simply suspected that she’d gotten in over her head with her boyfriend…possibly even had a pregnancy scare.

Sure, the thought had pissed him off, he was a father after all, and she would be his baby till the day he died. So he’d let her go, because he wouldn’t be the guy who screamed and chased her even further away.

Then she’d returned, broken and concussed, looking so fragile and he’d been utterly furious with that freakish little coppertop.

Watching her uncomfortably hobble around in an ill-fitting blue prom-dress just because _Edward_ had insisted on it had just about pushed him over his limits, but he’d been afraid she’d just close herself off from him even more if he said anything.

He was still torn about whether or not to be happy that he’d dumped her. Sure he’d been afraid that Bella was far too tied to the uptight, pretentious prick to ever be able to free herself of him on her own. That he’d done it so thoroughly was both a gift and a slap in the face. He was gone, and Charlie would never cry about his absence. That he’d left her in the woods? Unforgivable.

And yet…

Here was the daughter he’d adored as a child, the tomboy who loved to watch the game with him and get dirty in the garage with cars. The girl who was real and sweet and funny, the one who didn’t take herself _quite_ so seriously. She was dressed in cutoffs that most likely belonged to Embry from before he’d Phased. Steel toed Doc Martens that she practically lived in when not swimming with those behemoths who had adopted her into their pack. Tank top displaying the tanned arms and shoulders that she’d not had since she was a child.

Even Renée had confided in him during one of their regular check-ins that Bella looked and sounded far healthier than she had been in years. The two women chatted regularly over Skype, even bringing in Phil and Charlie on occasion.

What Renée did _not_ say was that Bella finally acted like the teenager she should have been before she’d convinced herself that her mother needed a caretaker in the form of her own daughter.

He knew he didn’t say it often enough…but he couldn’t have been prouder of her.

>}:{<

Bobbing her head and humming along to AC/DC, Bella couldn’t get over how much she had missed music, especially music that wasn’t confined to emo-pseudo-classical just because it was what happened to appeal to Edward. She loved music in all its many forms.

Pulling into the parking-lot as _You Shook Me All Night Long_ played its opening chords, she looked around and finally spotted a familiar black motorcycle parked by the wall on the second to the last lane. Luck had held and there was one last parking spot next to the bike.

_Surely Paul wouldn’t mind if she stayed to listen till the end of the song…it was his fault anyway…_

Which left her hurrying in the direction of the building’s front as she stowed her keys in her pocket. She was just getting into line when a big hand holding two tickets blinked into existence before her startled eyes. She blinked back at it, before trailing her eyes up to meet her own reflection in silver shades. Huffing in amusement because he’d apparently already bought both tickets, she gently poked him in the ribs. “Can I at least buy our snacks?

Walking with him into the building, she was astonished to see how many people took one look at him and got the hell out of his way. No threat, not even a scowl, and they skittered out of his path like sheep fleeing the wolf. It reminded her of her of her first impression of him. The Wolf who made no attempts to hide his true nature, caring little for the bleating of the sheep as they tried to keep from looking him in the eye.

They all treated him as if he were dangerous.

Bella tilted her chin up to show how little she thought of their behavior and curled her arm through his. He glanced down at her in curiosity, but did nothing to discourage her. Standing in the ever-dwindling line at the concession stand, Bella began ordering all sorts of things, from popcorn, to sodas. Hotdogs to make up for her lack of lunch, because she’d been far too busy studying. Not to mention the huge bag of skittles she’d hidden away in her bag.

He lifted a brow as she asked for a carrier for her spoils, hefting his drink in his other hand. “You know, I’ve seen Leah eat like this. Something you haven’t mentioned?”

Bella gave him a straight face as she responded with, “Yeah. I’m really a height-stunted Shifter. Couldn’t you tell?”

His slow grin was about a billion watts of brilliance, his dimples ostensibly dazzling the poor woman behind the counter as she tried to work the cash register, scattering Bella’s change on the floor. The cashier blinked, then seemingly shook herself out of her daze as she stooped to pick up the handful of coins and bills with an apology.

The two Pack-mates glanced at each-other, bemused.

Then Bella shrugged at her companion and accepted her change back, following Paul as he cut a wide path through the oncoming pedestrian traffic by sheer presence alone. They entered the theater and climbed all the way to the top of the isle. Bella imagined it was because he simply didn’t want to be bothered by other viewers bitching about not being able to see over him. Not having to worry about wearing his glasses would also be a plus.

Just in time for the opening credits, they took their seats and settled in for the movie. She could practically _feel_ his amusement as she polished off both hotdogs within the first five minutes of the film’s starting. She flushed a bright red as her cheeks bulged out with her last bite, then swallowed hard and studiously ignored him in favor of watching Loki taunt Nick Fury.

 _This time_ she actually got to enjoy the movie, what with no Jacob to interrupt with his preaching.

Well, mostly uninterrupted, because two hours into the film, Paul shifted and pulled out his cell phone to answer a text message he’d apparently just gotten. His eyes flickering between screens, he sent off a response then typed something else before handing it to her.

Curious, Bella accepted the phone.

_Have to go run an errand after_

_movie…wannna come with?_

Bella smiled and nodded while handing his phone back, turning her attention back to the big screen just in time to watch Tony Stark get tossed out a window. She gasped and pulled herself to the edge of her seat, watching with baited breath as the Iron Man suit finally burst from the window after its maker and assembled itself around him.

Base Jumping without the proper equipment was _clearly_ a spectator sport.

The credits were rolling as Bella got a text from Charlie, letting her know that everything was going well and that there was a possibility he’d get to come home Saturday night. One of the speakers had come down with a nasty spring flu and had ended up in the hospital on fluids due to dehydration.

She shot him back a response, telling him that she had had gone back to see the movie she’d missed. She hadn’t told him what she and Jacob had quarreled over, only that he hadn’t been able to drop it and had offended the rest of the audience with his jabbering.

She was so intent on her phone that she stumbled on the last step. That’s when she realized that Paul had gotten away from her, because the man she bumped into was medium height, blonde…and _not_ Paul. He’d whipped around and opened his mouth to yell at her, then paused as he got a good look at his apparent attacker. Short, shapely, and brunette with huge doe eyes. The smile that began to cross his face honestly gave her the creeps. It was like Mike times fifty. “I’m _so_ sorry,” she began, trying to forestall his approach. “I should have been looking where I was going!”

He just kept smiling, moving closer as she spoke. “It’s just fine, sweetheart. Accidents happen.”

 _Eewww._ Bella fought to keep from shuddering in revulsion. It wasn’t so much that he was ugly, because he wasn’t. He just looked like every _other_ college jock, interchangeable and forgettable with his over-jelled hair and store-bought muscles that didn’t hold a candle to her Were-boys.

“Especially to me. I’m pretty clumsy,” she attempted, trying to give him a reason to go away, because after all, who wanted the clumsy girl?

He stepped even closer. “That’s cute.”

 _Cute? That was his pick-up-line? Was he stupid?_ Bella backed up yet another step, hand on the banister to keep herself from falling backwards. The blonde douche just followed and she began to get a bit nervous. The theater was now empty and he wasn’t taking the cues she was handing him.

“Listen, I gotta go. My fiend-”

“Pretty sure she’ll wait for you”, he interrupted her.

“Pretty sure he won’t,” came a lethal purr.

The aforementioned douchebag spun around, intending to intimidate the other male horning into what he’d already decided was his territory into leaving, when he went very still. His eyes widened almost comically as he took in the sight of the huge male looming over him, menace in every line of his body. Those chill blue eyes were glittering with malevolent hunger, his smile slow and predatory as he stepped up, stalking him as surely as he’d stalked the girl.

“Do you make a habit of harassing unwilling females,” Paul continued in that same perfectly reasonable voice that did very little to hide the danger it contained.

One step closer, and Paul’s smile warped into a something that was more teeth and threat than humor and said douchebag swallowed hard, no defense coming to his lips to counter the accusation. He’d honestly never been so freaked by another person before. He couldn’t have even begun to describe what it was that caused his sudden overwhelming fear, whether it was those eyes that slashed him to the bone with their razor sharp focus, the overwhelming size of the other man, or the expression that was more like a hungry animal that had just scented blood than anything even remotely…human.

“Hey, she ran into _me_ , buddy.” He finally responded as he tried to puff himself up to make himself look larger. Much like a wolf raising its hackles at a larger wolf when it felt threatened, Bella thought absently. She took that moment to skirt Sir. Douchebag and move towards Paul, desperately throttling her brain for some way to diffuse the situation. In the meantime, she tucked herself against his side like she would Sam to reassure him of her safety. He occasionally had fits after one of her worse accidents or if Victoria got too close, and this always worked to sooth _him_.

His body shifted at her touch, muscles swimming smoothly under her grip as his arm wrapped across her back. She was somewhat surprised, however, to note that physically, he was completely relaxed to the touch.

“Look,” Sir. Douchebag, continued, “I didn’t touch her.”

Paul cocked his head to the side with a shrug. “You still have hands.”

It was said as if it were simply a logical conclusion. And apparently, even half-way brain-dead jocks could eventually get a clue. His eyes widened as he finally realized just how dangerous his situation had become. And like any anyone with partially functioning brain-cells, he got the hell out of there.

Bella sighed in relief as the stupid boy finally turned the corner and disappeared. Disaster averted.

She breathed out, attempting to release all the negative vibes. Looking down at her empty drink glass, she frowned. “I think I need a refill to wash away the cheesy taste of a terrible pick-up-line that could only have been attempted by a jackass.”

Paul snorted, his smile losing the tension as he followed along behind his companion. She stopped at the concession for the stated refill, hastily gulping down her Sprite as if honestly attempting to wash away the aftertaste of the encounter.

Stepping into the hot afternoon sunlight, she eagerly sucked up the last of her refill before dumping the emptied cup into the nearest receptacle and hurrying to catch up with Paul. Biting her lip, Bella hesitantly approached the monster that he’d just straddled, one hand held out to help steady her. Grasping his offered hand, she carefully swung her leg up over the bike and perched on the soft leather seat.

Settling onto the motorcycle, he reached back and gently tugged her forward until her weight was settled properly, then pulled her arms around his waist. The feel of his perfect body pressed snugly against the front of her own was…mildly distracting to say the very least. Even in this heat, the warmth he threw off would have been amazingly soothing if he weren’t sending her nerves on a damned rollercoaster ride. “You might want to hold on,” he teased as he glanced at her over a shoulder, quoting her from the very first day she’d met him.

Bella couldn’t help but laugh as she wrapped her arms tighter around his waist. He gunned the engine in response, the bike leaving the curb with a roar that she felt reverberate through her entire body.

Last time, she’d been far too stressed by the knowledge that it was on _her_ to get them home safely to enjoy _any_ part of the trip. Even worse had been the unaccustomed sensation of his body pressed against every line and curve of her own. Edward had never allowed her to get even half as close. It had felt like torture that afternoon as he shifted into her with every turn she made, and it was no less so now, but at least no one would die if she got distracted.

This time, Bella allowed herself to enjoy the sensation of riding Paul’s bike; the wind whipping past them, the bend and flow of the bike through turns as he skillfully navigated the tangled mazes of roads and tightly winding lanes. Then he accelerated, and Bella squeaked as she held on tighter, feeling laughter rumble through his body.

They were passing through a newer part of town when he turned off onto a side street and pulled up behind a huge, shiny black van. It was parked a few doors down from a bar-slash-Dance club that had just opened a couple years ago. She’d never been inside of The Haven, but from what she’d heard of the night-spot, it was the club where everyone wanted to be, but few could get into.

Paul parked and reached into his pocket for his phone. After waiting for it to ring through, answered the greeting of whomever picked up. “Outside. Need the list and the keys. Right,” then he disconnected.

Three minutes later, one of the most eye-catching male creatures Bella had ever seen exited the club and ambled towards them. His frost-blonde hair haloed his face handsome face. Classically beautiful features and the tall, heavily built physique of a champion professional athlete. And yet...there was something about off about him. Languidly graceful as any Shifter, he moved out from under the awning into the full light of day and Bella fought not to gasp.

The sun picked up on the pale blue lowlights in his shoulder-length hair, playing up the darker blue roots. His eyes were a pure, fathomless gold under blonde brows that arched up into wicked peaks. The wide, finely sculpted mouth was quirked up with easy humor framed by dimples almost as deep as Paul’s. It would have been impossible to gauge his age…he could have been anywhere from twenty-five to forty-five.

Unless you knew what to look for in the eyes…ancient eyes that couldn’t _quite_ hide the predator within their depths.

Bella found herself clutching tighter to Paul’s broad back, eyes wide.

He wasn’t quite as tall as her Were companion, but he made up for that with sheer presence. It was almost as if she could _feel_ his approach, the displacement of the air around his body… _as_ _if he were somehow a great deal larger than what she was seeing._

His stride, as he approached, had the lazy elegance of someone who was completely comfortable in their own skin. Reaching them, he dug into his pocket for a folded up piece of paper and a set of keys that he passed off to Paul with a smile. He turned his discomforting gaze briefly on her, taking her measure in all of a second before he winked and then returned his attention to the younger male. Bella suppressed a sigh of relief as he did so.

“There’s no rush, party doesn’t begin till after ten pm.” The smooth British flavor of his voice caught her attention, very nearly distracting her from her unease with its old-world charm and inflection. Her hands unclenched from where they had fisted in Paul’s shirt, her whole body slowly relaxing with the man’s attention off of her as she listened to the two of them exchange last minute information. Then Paul was assisting her off the bike and leading her to the van, tossing his keys towards the man as he walked backwards towards the door. Catching them, he spun neatly on his heel and stepped back inside.

Bella blinked at Paul as he stepped up into the driver’s seat. “I totally get it now.”

“Hmmm?”

“Sam said you had to meet Haven to understand. He’s…kind of unnerving.”

Paul just chuckled and shoved the key into the ignition as she hustled around to the other side of the van.

Riding shotgun, Bella scanned her eyes over the shopping list, making a mental map of everything they needed and guessing that most of it could be found at the new Sam’s Club. “You wouldn’t happen to have the Pack’s card for Sam’s Club, would you?” She’d never been to one, had never had a reason to visit before meeting the Pack, and even then, they took care of the shopping.

“Nope. Have Haven’s card, though.”

“Awesome. Most of this stuff will be easy to bulk buy that way. We just need to pick up the napkins that got ordered from the printer.”

“On it.”

Bella pulled out her phone and began calculating estimated totals, biting her lip as the cost began to grow. “Um…do we have any kind budget, here?”

“No limits.” Bending towards her list, he glanced over it before straightening up again. “Haven doesn’t do moderation,” he said with a smile.

“God, no kidding,” she murmured, glancing back at the numbers once more.

Pulling into the parking-lot, Bella whistled at the sheer volume of cars. _For dinnertime on a Wednesday night, the place was kinda packed…_

Yet somehow, they managed to pull into a newly vacant spot near the front door, leaving her to decide that Paul must have better parking karma than she did. After all, from what she could see, he never had to cross into the distant parts of any parking-lot. He also didn’t have a nemesis in a stupid little red sports car that she was certain would look _far_ more attractive as a giant red pancake.

After traversing the hot asphalt, she felt her skin prickle under the blast of cool air as they stepped into the air-conditioned warehouse-like store. Spying the carts, Bella grabbed two because from the looks of things, they would certainly _need_ them! She’d never seen such a huge list for a simple private party.

That was when Bella got a good look at the opposition, as it were. The sheer volume of merchandise was, quite honestly, a bit intimidating. Everything from car batteries to goldfish-crackers. Dish soap and blue jeans and…the scariest thing of all… ** _Furbies_**. She’d heard rumors about those things and they made her shudder.

Her hands curled over the back of the cart and feet up on the bar, she allowed Paul to tow her off in the proper direction. Paint and razorblades and things she couldn’t even begin to identify, Bella gawked up at shelves that she’d almost _have_ to climb just to complete a shopping list.

This place could be a nightmare for someone with ADHD, she thought. Too much stuff and not enough organization. Toys and food and clothes and automotive parts and electronics all hodgepodged together. She was blindly riding the cart with her jaw unhinged, before being gently halted as it came to a halt in front of the Deli.

Shaking herself out of her daze, Bella dismounted the ‘majestic steed’ to pull out the list and read off their order to the man behind the counter. Who, she was somehow surprised to see, behaved in a completely unprofessional manor and endeavored to ignore Paul.

_But didn’t that seem to be par for the course?_

They either attempted to ignore him and failed (there was no way to truly ignore someone like Paul) or they cringed from the beginning. They _all_ acted like he was some kind of wild animal off his leash and prowling for his dinner.

Bella drew herself up to her full, if somewhat meagre, height, cleared her throat with purpose and willed the man pay her a bit more respect than he currently was. She could already feel his eyes wandering, and it was beginning to irritate her. A middle-aged man that had been helping an elderly lady finally finished and appeared at the other man’s shoulder, his face a bit stern as he glanced at his co-worker.

“Um...I’m sorry, ma’am. What was that again?” The younger man’s voice was uncertain and just a touch guilty, as if he _knew_ he’d been caught out.

Paul suddenly stepped in behind her, both hands braced against the metal frame of the refrigerated case, bracketing her body with far more authority than she was able to bring to bear on her own. Faking a smile at the young man, she once more listed off everything she needed from their department, thankful to see that his apparent superior was taking notes and delegating once it became obvious that it was far more than the pair of them could handle speedily.

Thankfully, the butcher’s section and the bakery went much smoother and they were on their way to pick up the last few items on Haven’s list, then off to the checkout. Things continued to go easily as they made it through the line and then back out into the beginnings of sunset where Paul made quick work of packing the van, leaving Bella to check off everything as he did so, finding that every item on the list was accounted for.

They were driving back into town when the lull of a moving vehicle and the evening heat found Bella slowly beginning to nod off. She’d find herself on the very edge of dreamland, then she’d yank herself back. Finally, Morpheus beckoned loudly enough that she couldn’t ignore his call and her head lolled back against the window.

She must have slept soundly, because the next thing she knew, her shoulder was being gently shaken to bring her back to the land of the living. She came awake with a jolt, gasping and jerking in her seat. Paul ducked the first limb as she flailed into full wakefulness, handily catching the second arm that sailed unintentionally towards his groin.

Bella winced as he released her limb. “Sorry! It’s not pretty when I wake up from a nap in the car.”

“No worries. Didn’t hit anything.”

She rubbed her eyes, then covered a yawn as she stretched. “What time is it?”

He shifted sideways, then stood up. “Round nine, or thereabouts.”

“Oh crap! We’re late! We gotta-”

“Easy. All taken care of.”

“But-” Bella twisted and looked behind the seat into a nearly empty van. The back doors were still open as a pair of men in what looked like bouncer-chic hefted the last of it and then shut the doors with low laughter that she suspected was aimed at her. “Did we get everything?”

“Yup.”

Bella glanced around, trying to get her brain to reboot properly before attempting to climb out of her seat. Succeeding at that, she went about making efforts to smooth down her clothes and hair. She wasn’t terribly vain, but she’d also never heard of any supermodels strutting down the catwalk sporting a bird’s nest either. Eyeing her companion, Bella wanted to be jealous, because his hair was always perfect, as if cowlicks wouldn’t stick to him and static electricity existed outside of his personal space.

Shaking her head at her own flight of fancy, Bella stretched once more as she looked around. And spotted the most improbable of things sitting at the curb next to the front door of The Haven. Because there was Bess, parked serenely under the streetlight. Her hand dropped automatically to her pocket to search for her keys, and to her shock found them. She pulled them loose and, sure enough, there was the key for the Chevy. She blinked, staring at the key as if it would bite her.

That…was _not_ …possible.

It just wasn’t. She’d left Bess parked at the movie-theater, expecting to go back for her after running what turned out to be a much longer errand than she’d anticipated. She hadn’t minded in the least, but she’d also not looked forward to driving home once she’d realized just how late it would be after they’d picked up the truck.

Glancing at Paul from the corner of her eyes, Bella noticed the slight grin tugging at the corners of his lips as he waited patiently. “Haven had it delivered.”

From where? A wormhole?! That, or the man had Minions stuffed away somewhere. The only other option was hotwiring, and she really hoped that hadn’t happened because she’d heard it was damaging. Not to mention her dislike of unknown drivers behind the wheel. But as she was covering yet another yawn, she decided to let it go for the time being because however Haven had had it done, he’d saved her roughly forty minutes of drive time and from what she could see, Bess didn’t have so much as a new dent on her.

_Yeah…she wasn’t asking, because she had a feeling that her brain would explode._

Shaking herself out of her confusion just in time to catch Paul by the hand, she smiled as he leaned down and brushed his cheek with her own. She was even more pleased when he gently pulled her closer and wrapped his arms across her back in a careful embrace. She could feel the inhuman strength in those arms, feel it in his body when she slowly returned the hug with her arms around his waist.

“Night,” he murmured as he pulled back.

“Safe driving,” she wished him.

He nodded with a small smile before mounting his bike and kicking the engine over. “Likewise.”

Bella watched him disappear into the distance, a thoughtful expression on her face as she slowly walked towards Bess. He seemed to be slowly getting more comfortable with her presence, and Bella was pleased to see him becoming demonstrative in pack behaviors.

Thirty minutes later, Bella pulled up into the driveway and cut the engine with yet another aggravating yawn. She stumbled up the walkway and up the stairs to let herself in, thanking whichever of her guardian angels currently on duty for allowing her to not trip over a shadow along the way. She tossed all of her things on the kitchen table before digging out her homework and the makings of a sandwich. She’d been pondering on actually cooking something, but frankly that was beyond her at this point.

Slapping together her sandwich, she one handed it and munched while neatening the space and organizing the clean pots on the rack overhanging the stove. She had been tickled pink when Charlie had had Sam build the rack for her, because it made everything so much easier to find with it all at hand.

Finally, when everything was neatened to her satisfaction, she sat down at the table and pulled out her Geometry homework. The teacher had passed her on the test, but she wasn’t satisfied with a B minus. She’d have to nail Embry down one of these days for tutoring, because from what she could remember, he was rather gifted with the subject.

So yeah…she was a bit of a perfectionist. She’d had to learn to be in order to catch up after her little stint into depression-land. Catching up had been a bit of a bitch, but now, at least, she could have decent hopes of getting into a good college when she graduated at the end of the year. A scholarship would be nice, and those did not go to sub-standard students. She was still unsure as to what she wanted to study, but she was actually leaning towards wanting to at least minor in art.

It would be a new thing for her, letting her creative side have sway over her life. For so long she’d been neat and orderly, and the thought of letting it all go was kind of appealing.

She was just finishing up her self-imposed homework when the phone rang. Expecting it to be her father, she automatically answered it with “Heya, Dad.”

The laughter on the other end was decidedly feminine and _not_ Charlie.

“I really hope I don’t sound like your dad, Bella.”

Bella face-palmed with a grin. “Sorry, I didn’t check caller ID. Hey, Angela.”

“How goes the Geometry? You know I’d help you if I was any better at it than you are.”

“Meh. It goes, I suppose,” Bella returned with a sigh. “Nothing will make me like it, though.”

“Fair enough. So…guess what I heard, today,” Angela anteed-up with a playfully taunting tone.

Bella went still with something close to dread. “Do I really want to know?”

“Do you really _not_ want to know?” Angela countered.

Bella groaned before standing up and moving towards the back door. “Alright, if I gotta hear this, at least let me hear it in the fresh air. I was staring to fall asleep over here.”

“No problem.”

She opened the door and walked out onto the back porch before finding a seat at the deck-table. Gearing up to hear the worst, she took a deep, centering breath, then exhaled. “Alright. Hit me.”

>}:{<

Unbeknownst to the girl, a pair of eyes watched her from the tree-line.

They were dark with anger and betrayal, because she smelled like _him_.

He had broken the rules yet again, only this time, it was with good intentions. Jake had left tribal grounds against his Alpha’s wishes in order to sit down with his best friend and attempt to work out their issues.

She _knew_ how he felt about Paul. He didn’t know how she could possibly have missed it. The older Wolf was a danger to himself and everyone around him. Especially a small, fragile human who would have no way of defending herself should Paul lose it around her.

Sure, he could admit to himself that a part of him simply felt threatened by the presence of the other male around a female he wanted for himself. He had also done his best to block such animalistic impulses. She had friend-zoned him pretty bluntly.

But she had also been his best friend first. He felt like he was losing her…like she was slipping his grasp faster than he could compensate for.

She had actually _hit_ him for the first time in his memory. Sure, he had inadvertently restrained her, but it had been an _accident_. He would _never_ intentionally do that to any female, especially Bella. He had been so distracted that he hadn’t even realized he’d done it until she’d planted her little fist against his chest. It hadn’t even stung physically, but emotionally…? It had hurt like hell.

He’d felt guilty for putting her in the position of having to defend herself against him in the first place. Then forcing her to go so far as to practically sit in that asshole’s lap? He’d been beating himself up over that. Especially when it looked like Paul might chuck her through the window. He’d opened his mouth in an attempt to prevent what looked like a disaster with an Alpha Order to drop her on the tip of his tongue.

That he’d not only not hurt her, but pulled her closer just to piss Jacob off was the icing on the cake and he’d left, unable to see the girl he wanted to love in the embrace of someone who could never deserve her.

So yeah, he was angry. He was worried for her safety, and she couldn’t even make his life a little easier by staying away from an obvious threat to her welfare.

Paul was a lowlife bastard. He didn’t deserve someone like Bella. He’d never done a thing in his miserable life for her, other than occasionally be there at the right time in the right place to make himself look like the good guy. And he certainly wasn’t. He’d spent far too much time enjoying the pain he could inflict on others. Just the thought of what he could do to Bella made Jacob a bit sick to his stomach.

And what does Bella do? Go behind his back just to piss him off by not avoiding someone he legitimately hated.

He honestly hated the older Shifter. He couldn’t wait for the day that he could take over and order the other shifter into his place. Permanently on tribal grounds as was fitting and away from the public where he could never hurt anyone again.

For the first time, he found himself angry with Bella. It was an uncomfortable feeling, because he was cheerful by nature. Deciding to make another attempt another day, once he’d had time to calm down (and she no longer smelled like the asshole), Jacob turned away from the sight of the small girl chatting away, oblivious, with her best female friend. Because if _he_ had any say, he’d always be _the_ best friend.

He’d almost made it back to the Rez, when his hackles abruptly stood on end.

He was being watched.

A pair of glowing eyes appeared in the distance, slowly moving toward him. Jacob went still, teeth bared as they approached.

 _“Fancy meeting you here,”_ came the sarcastically droll tone of his Alpha.

 _“You know,”_ Sam continued, his voice becoming steely, “ _When I ordered you restricted to tribal lands, it meant actually **staying** on tribal lands, not gallivanting about, spying on people.”_

_“But-”_

_“Shut it. I am so far past being in the mood. You disobeyed a direct order. I was trying to do you the courtesy of not treating you like a toddler, but you aren’t leaving me much choice. I don’t want to have to Alpha order you, but if you pull this again, I will."_

_“You were not the one wronged in this situation between you and Bella. You were not the one treated like a child, but I will treat you that way if you continue._

_“Furthermore, you are still not off the hook for what you did yesterday. That you ran off tonight has compounded the infraction. I know that you are Billy Black’s son, and therefore next in line to be Chief. I know that you are Ephraim Black’s successor, and that position wields authority. **But you are acting like a spoiled little shit**."_

_“Therefore, your last punishment is as follows: You will humble yourself before the friend you have wronged in the presence of the pack. You will kneel before her and ask her to forgive you for abandoning your post, your friends, your family, and your tribe because you felt it was your right to. You are **not**_ _above the rest of us just because of your lineage. Bella, should she chose to forgive you, will do so in the manor of our pack, or not at all.”_

Jacob was further enraged by the dressing down. But there was little he could do. That he would be forced to embarrass himself publically made him want to cringe. He supposed he could only be thankful that Bella wasn’t the type to hold a grudge and would likely forgive him as soon as he asked.

But it didn’t change the fact that he was in this mess because of Paul. Because without Paul, there would have been no argument at all.


	12. Devils Haircut - Beck

When he heard from Sam that Bella would be coming by the Rez today to help Emily with the bonfire cookout scheduled for the next day, Jacob realized that he wasn’t sure how to feel.

Standing in the trees, far off into the hills, he contemplated a ring of stones carefully placed on the grass. It seemed to mock him with its purpose even as it pulled him closer.

In his eyes, his best friend had betrayed him, even if unintentionally. Paul wasn’t someone that he would ever associate with, if given the choice. The selfish arrogance of the other shifter wasn’t something Jacob could understand, nor did he want to. That Bella willingly spent time around the asshole wasn’t something he could ever understand. He rarely spoke, as if words were not worth wasting on the likes of his pack members.

Not that Jacob ever really _wanted_ to have conversations with him…that low gruff tone made him uneasy, truth-to-tell. That Bella could stand it was…well, honestly, what had he expected? That Edward twit had a voice that was overly sweet…like getting sugar-shock in the middle of the hottest part of summer. It was easy to become sick to your stomach just listening to the sugar-laced tone.

He just didn’t understand why she couldn’t take his advice and stay away. It wasn’t that hard to understand his dislike of Paul, given the many double standards where he was concerned.  Where everyone was shackled to La Push, Paul got to hold an outside job. He made decent money and lived in a nicer home than most of the tribe could ever even imagine possessing. He even got to finish High School like many of them would never get the chance to do, because he had tested out early. Jacob wondered if the teachers were simply too unnerved by him to want him on the grounds and had found an easy way to get rid of him.

That he was dangerous was an understatement.

Jacob had gotten a look into Sam’s head from the time of Paul’s Phasing. It hadn’t been pretty, taking weeks to modulate his strength and speed into something that even remotely resembled human. Doors had been splintered, furniture crushed. That he’d not even had to be asked to repair it, simply taking it as his responsibility, meant little to Jacob because he’d committed the acts in the first place. What if it hadn’t been a chair he’d destroyed, but a human body?

_Bella’s body…_

His stomach threatened to turn over at the thought.

He had wanted to scream at her when he’d first scented the other Shifter on her. _All_ over her, as if she’d been plastered against his body. But she hadn’t stuttered when she’d offered up the reason why. She hadn’t been lying when she claimed Paul had hidden her from that little wannabe stalker Mike Newton. Bella couldn’t lie for shit, even _she_ knew that, and so most time she didn’t even bother to try.

He hadn’t liked it, but he’d let it go. Jacob tried to convince her that it would be safer for her to avoid Paul for her own safety22222221. What kind of friend would he be if he allowed her to get hurt without warning her of the dangers? He’d been shocked as shit when she’d turned on him. Bella rarely showed the sharp side of her tongue. In fact, it was such a rarity, that few knew it even existed. But she’d made sure he wouldn’t forget it when, later that night, she’d used the psycho to get back at him after having unleashed on him yet again.

That she couldn’t have his back around someone he hated had been another betrayal.

Paul had been allowed to get away with things that Jacob could never fathom. He’d spent more time in lock-up at Charlie Swan’s precinct in one month than all the rest of the Pack put together in their entire lives. He could be fair, however, because he himself had been caught streaking more than once and had been picked up for it. So had a great deal of the pack, it was just a byproduct of phasing on the fly. But Paul was also extremely violent, proven by the countless fights he’d been in. Jacob was honestly surprised that there had been no reports of any dead bodies yet…unless that was yet another thing Sam was covering up.

Shaking his head to rid himself of such poisonous, outlandish thoughts, Jacob returned to his original train of thought.

He didn’t expect Bella to be _rude_ to Paul and ignore him if he was around her…that might, after all, invite violence. She’d been correct in that, at least. He just wanted her to avoid him so she wouldn’t need to be around him at all.

That Paul’d been to her house more than once was also disturbing. She’d never mentioned any reason for Paul’s presence at her house beyond the first time he’d dropped her off, and even then, his scent should never had been _in_ the house in the first place.

Now he was expected to humble himself in the way of the Pack before a girl that he had supposedly wronged. He truthfully wasn’t sure how he had done so, because all he had done was attempted to care for her well-being. Tried to keep her fragile human body and softer emotions safe from someone who would damage them without a qualm.

And now his time had run out because he could faintly make out the sounds of Bella and Sam walking through the trees.

They were both silent as they stepped closer, both with their eyes on the ground until they had reached the clearing. Sam’s face was stony, though his dark eyes shone with disappointment. Bella looked uneasy, which in turn made _him_ feel unsettled.

Baring the two wolves on Patrol, Jonah and Embry, and the younger twins at home with their mother, the rest of the Pack appeared slowly from the other direction, silent and graceful as wraiths in the shadows of the trees. Closing his eyes, Jacob swallowed his pride and knelt in the soft grass inside the stone ring. _Closing his eyes didn’t block the sensation of his Packmates eyes as they watched him, however._ He hated it even more when he felt the still, cold presence of Paul settle into place along the ring of stones…his humiliation now complete as he held the submissive pose before someone he could hardly bear to allow to see him in such a way.

He knew that he was partly in the wrong, because he’d deprived Quill and Leah of their precious time off….time they all guarded even more closely than the source of their next meal. Then there was the other issue…the one that had him tied in knots and unsure of the honesty he could attach to any apology he gave her.

Bella had just stepped into the circle at Sam’s urging, when Jacob found he couldn’t take the pressure of it all anymore. Being turned on by his best friend and first love, being treated like a fool by his superior, and ultimately being placed in the position of _begging_ forgiveness from Bella after having done nothing but look out for her hit him as just _wrong_. He was up on his feet before he knew it and ranting almost as fast.

“This is wrong and you know it! I didn’t do anything other than look out for you, and this is the thanks I get? Made to sit here like some dope and apologize to someone who goes behind my back and hangs out with someone she knows that I-”

“Kneel. Down.” Sam bit out between clenched teeth.

“ _NO! I won’t just kneel down!_ I didn’t do anything wrong! Bella, I never thought you’d do something like that just to get back at me! And all I did was take a little ‘me’ time to get over it-”

“ _LEAVING THE REST OF THE PACK TO FILL IN FOR YOU!”_ Bella snarled at him. “Don’t make this about me! You deserted _your_ Pack, _your_ patrol, and took advantage of _your_ position thinking it would get you a free pass! Couldn’t you deal with our disagreement on your own time like the goddamned adult you always claim to be?”

Jacob blinked as she advanced on him, so stunned he couldn’t even find the words to defend himself.

“But noooooo….Jacob Black is above the rest of his friends. _He_ can bail on his people and his responsibilities whenever he feels the need because he’s the ‘born-Alpha’. Billy would be fucking ashamed of your behavior and you _know_ it!”

Bella’s face was flushed with rage, matched by Jacob’s as he grit his teeth, fighting the urge to Phase. He couldn’t believe she was saying this crap and she was only gathering steam. “You’re one to talk! I seem to remember a stupid little girl who dated a freaking Leech and left her father in the dark about it all when it could very well have killed him. Sound familiar?”

“And I paid for it too, didn’t I?” she hissed back, eyes glittering with the light of battle. “I hurt my father, my mother, everyone I cared for then and everyone I have since grown to love because of my words and actions. Those very same actions that put everyone I’ve ever _met_ in danger because that bitter bitch Victoria thinks that killing me will gain her vengeance against Edward, who couldn’t give a fuck less. Or did you miss the part about me being left in the woods like trash?”

Jacob blanched, because she very well could have _died_ in those woods if Victoria had found her before Sam had.

“I got the fuck over myself a long time ago. Maybe you should do the same,” she continued, her voice low and horse with emotion.

“And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?” Jacob loomed over her, ignoring the low growls that erupted from a handful of the other wolves.

She didn’t give a damned inch. “Did you even take into account the feelings of the others when you decided that you were far more important than they were? That their feelings and needs didn’t matter as long as yours were met? You used your anger and frustration at me as an excuse to run off and play hooky. Tell me, what would you have done if someone had done that to you? Left you to do their work because they were too selfish to take their responsibilities seriously? That they were somehow better than you and let their entitlement get in the way of seeing to their people’s safety?”

Jacob winced, because put into those terms, what he’d done sounded pretty selfish.

“You _know_ Sam…he’s not unreasonable. If you needed the time, he would have _found_ it for you. Instead, he was left scrambling for bodies because you were gone right when he needed you to step up. Jonah’s Phasing-”

“I assumed we had a few more days!” Jacob jumped in to defend his actions. He still couldn’t believe she was yelling at him like this. It was so unlike her, she took non-confrontational to a ridiculous degree. It was something she had inherited from both parents, and he could only remember a scant few times she had ever even raised her voice before today, even rarer were the times she had yelled at _him_.

“And that’s the problem. You assumed. You didn’t know for certain. After the fight he and Jared had on Sunday, you should have _assumed_ that Jonah would Phase sooner rather than later. _You_ were the one who told me that you get more and more quick-tempered the closer you get to Phasing for the first time, and he was already on a hair-trigger to begin with.”

“But-”

“ _THEN_ ,” she cut in over him, her voice hurt, “that was when you decided that I was _low_ enough to use someone for the sole purpose of _hurting you_. Someone who I almost let you convince me was equal to his bad rep. Someone whom I now count as my _friend_.” He wondered why Sam looked so surprised, then let it go, because it wasn’t important right now. What _was_ important was the fact that she had just given voice to one of his greater fears. She’d made friends with someone whom he loathed with a passion. Someone who, even if only admitted to in his most private and guarded of thoughts, he feared.

But…maybe it wasn’t too late.

Maybe he could work himself back into her good-graces and move himself into a position to show her that she didn’t need Paul. That he was more than good enough as her best friend to see to all her needs. And if she happened to realize that he might make good boyfriend-material, then so much the better…

So he beat back his pride and once more sank to his knees before Bella Swan and forced himself to spit out a believable apology. “You’re right. That’s not something you would do. I’m sorry I accused you of it. I’m even sorrier that I abandoned my patrol. I left my people in danger with my selfishness, and I abused the position I hold.”

So sure was he that she would immediately accept, he almost stood to make the needed physical reparation, when Bella held out a hand to halt him in his tracks. “I am _not_ the only one you owe an apology to. Leah and Quill were forced to extend their patrol during the time Sam spent _hours_ looking for _you_.”

Leah scowled and he couldn’t help but wince at the venomous thoughts he could practically _feel_ emanating from the female. Only, this time he couldn’t actually blame her for her acrimony because she’d had a problem with insomnia for months now and had been running on very little sleep. Thankfully, Quill was her running mate and he could make even Paul laugh on occasion with his clownish antics and running commentary. Leah was a much softer nut to crack and he’d kept her in stitches the entire time.

Grimacing, he sucked it up and turned towards the easier of the two. “Quill…I’m sorry, man, it was shitty of me.”

Like he’d expected, the young man just shook his head. “Fucker. Just don’t pull that crap again, yeah?” He held out a fist for a bump, then stepped back and subtly gestured towards Leah.

Jacob inwardly winced but he took the hint as the female in question crossed her arms across her impressive bosom and gifted him with a black look that plainly said ‘eat shit and die’. “I’m really sorry, Leah. It was thoughtless and it won’t happen again.” He didn’t mention that it was only due to the fact that it would hurt his chances to become Alpha that he would make sure of his promise. He liked his balls attached, thank you oh so fucking much.

There was silence as she mulled over the sincerity of his apology, and for a few tense moments, he was afraid she wouldn’t accept.

“It better not, you selfish little shit,” she finally bit out, her tone harsh. Jacob bit his own tongue, refusing to respond, because in all honesty, that was mild coming from her. She must have been truly exhausted to let him get away with as few words as she did, and he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Hours, Jacob,” Bella stated as if she’d never left off and Jacob turned reluctantly towards the girl standing before him. “You think Sam had nothing better to do? He just barely got to Jonah in time to lock him down. The guy Phased in the middle of his freaking _kitchen_ after picking a fistfight with his brother! Paul had to run the rest of the shift for you, and he’d not had a full shift off in two days!”

Jacob bit his lip, before looking over his shoulder at the man in question. “Sam?”

For his part, Sam didn’t like the way this whole situation was playing out. It smacked of something dishonest, because for all that Jacob had whined, he’d capitulated far too easily. He could already smell trouble brewing and wanted nothing to do with it. But for some reason, nature had insisted on making him the Alpha, even if only on a temporary basis, and he would never give anything but his best to the position. Even if it meant burying his true opinion of the boy kneeling in the center of the circle for the sake of the future harmony of the Pack. If Jacob were ever to lead the Pack, there could be no discord.

_Sam would never voice his suspicion that the easy and ‘heartfelt’ apologies were simply to smooth things over and assuage his guilt…if he actually felt any._

“We’re square. You’ve seen to both punishments.”

The young man kneeling in the grass turned back to the girl who stood patiently before him. “And Paul?”

No. Just no. No way in hell would he apologize to the Psycho. Bad enough having to apologize to the other three. The other three, he could stomach. Just the thought of having to say he was sorry to Paul would be akin to someone taking a cheese-grater to his body and then making him swim through a vat of lemon juice. He hated him, hated him, hated him-

As if sensing his balking, she crushed his rebellion with an ultimatum. “I won’t accept an apology unless Paul get one as well.”

_FUUUUCCCCKKKK…_

She’d just neatly boxed him in, forcing his hand. If she refused his apology, then he’d be back at square one and Sam would have to find some new way to punish him. Well fuck him sideways…

“Paul?” He didn’t really want to say any more than he had to, didn’t even want to call him by his first name, but for some reason calling him by his last name pissed the freak off and that was not really the way to go when one was trying to apologize. Those brutally chill eyes settled on him and Jacob forced himself to hold his ground, because the Wolf in him wanted to either fight to the death, or roll over and expose his belly. It was an unsettling sensation, one that once more demonstrated just how inhuman he’d become.

“I’m…” God he’d rather swallow arsenic straight from the bottle. “…really sorry…” he grit his teeth, before forcing himself to continue, “that you had to run my shift. It won’t happen again.”

Paul, asshole that he was, simply lifted a brow before turning away.

Figuring that he’d gotten all he would out of him, Jacob turned back to Bella.

He couldn’t have been more shocked to see her step away from him, until he realized that she’d stepped closer to Paul. She was just inches from him when she smiled and quickly reached up set her hands on his shoulders and pulled him down to her level.

The younger Alpha nearly leapt to his feet to save her from her own apparent folly when a big hand planted itself forcefully against his own shoulder and pinned him in position. His mouth opened, a panicked sound trapped in his throat as he struggled against whomever was holding him down.

It all happened in slow motion…

Bella’s delicate fingers gently tugged at Paul’s ponytail as it slithered over his shoulder when he bent towards her, the tall fucker ducking down at her urging, and Jacob prepared himself for the worst, because the last time some girl had dared touch him, he’d threatened to break bones with that sick-as-fuck smile on his face…after nearly dislocating her fingers when he’d brushed them off his arm. Those arms were currently looped across Bella’s back and waist, looking as if they might crack her spine as he lifted her from the ground, little body pressed tightly to his own. Her smile could have shamed the sun for brightness, causing his stomach to twist with a touch of fear.

  _But why should he fear her happiness?_

And yet his fear for her physical wellbeing was slowly but surely dimming in the face of his fear of her loss as Paul brushed his cheek along hers like an animal would another it held fondness for. Was such a thing even possible? He didn’t notice as his struggles diminished in intensity, didn’t realize when the sound lodged in his throat was stifled as Bella returned the affectionate gesture as if used to it. She murmured something, her tone raising slightly as if in question, but it was so quiet that not even he with his supernaturally augmented senses could hear what was said. Her legs swung idly as if she were a child, her forearms braced over Paul’s shoulders as he simply canted his head to the side and shrugged in answer.

Jacob didn’t notice the way Leah stumbled into Quill in her shock. Didn’t notice the way Sam didn’t so much as blink as he kept him planted in the grass on his knees. The way the twins’ jaws dropped in perfect unison, or the way Seth actually _did_ blink as Quill absently reached back to stabilize Leah, even as he rubbed at his eyes as if to wash away the unlikely sight of Paul welcoming the touch of any female at all, let alone one he used to denigrate as a leech loving little freak. Shay just looked confused, but then again, he hadn’t known Paul long enough to have seen him at his worst. The tiny smirk that flashed swiftly across Jared’s face was also, thankfully, missed.

All he noticed was the easy camaraderie between two such unlikely individuals…and again, it made him feel sick just to see it.

But if he wanted _his_ Bella back, he was going to have to swallow down the nausea that the sight caused him and beat back his jealousy. She’d never forgive him if he didn’t at least _appear_ willing to accept her new friendship.

It was his worst nightmare come true, because he never really believed she’d stay with that Cullen freak. They were far too different, so the possibility didn’t daunt him. Other male friends were shoved so far into the friend-zone that they would never see the proverbial light of day again. The ones that didn’t find themselves in that unwanted no-man’s-land were pushed to a distance.

Paul’s attention to her wasn’t quantifiable. It was too new, and far too uncomfortably close. Because after getting the answer she had seemingly requested, her arms curled around the freak’s neck in an embrace that was actually returned before she was placed back on her feet and gently nudged in his direction.

White noise blasted through his head, blotting out her words, and he apologized again on autopilot. He must have said what was needed, because she nodded with a smile, holding out her arms towards _him_ this time, and a tiny part of him wanted to ignore her because she’d used those arms to hug someone he loathed. He kept just enough sense to carefully embrace her, to smile at her as if relieved, to press his lips to the underside of her jaw in lupine apology as was expected, before disappearing into the trees at Sam’s nod. Because he couldn’t stomach any more humiliation.

 >}:{<

Only, it didn’t get easier to accept.

Because the next day, during the bonfire, he’d expected things to go back to normal.

Only they didn’t. Bella was still as sweet and helpful as she was allowed to be. Emily adored her and rarely allowed her to do more than lend a hand in the kitchen from time to time. Heavy lifting was just fine for the Wolf-boys. Leah, though she’d sooner gut someone with a plastic spork than admit to it, felt the same for the way the girl treated her as if she were normal. Kim thought she was the coolest chick she’d ever met…she’d run on both sides of the supernatural tracks and come out no more than a little banged up.

Jonah was off with the twins, neither of whom held a lick of respect for the little prick. And after being in the newest Wolf’s head, he couldn’t blame them. He was still mentally blind to the others, despite his ability to communicate with them, and could be read just like any other. Sam suspected that it had something to do with his inability to accept his new position in life, and Jacob was beginning to agree.

Of course, the twins weren’t helping matters. One moment they treated him as if he didn’t exist, then the next one would cheerfully wish that they had drowned him in the river just like some farmers did with unwanted puppies. Jonah would lose his cool and then the game was on as they took turns beating him into submission.

That was when Collin had come into the kitchen with his new pet. It was a beautiful Boa constrictor, and the Wolves in the room had ooh’d and awe’d over it, before Kim had started squeaking in fear. Bella had gotten one good look at the pretty thing and had peeled out of the kitchen as if propelled on rocket fuel. The girl handled Vampires and Werewolves just fine, but would disappear at warp-speed when confronted of her ophidiophobia. Jacob had laughed along with the rest of them, but he’d followed along after her just the same, feeling a bit guilty in the face of her fear.

He needn’t have bothered.

The door had just closed behind him when he got the privilege of watching Bella take a flying leap and scramble up Paul’s torso with the skill of a spider-monkey up a tree. Jared, who had been walking alongside his cousin, had stopped to guffaw at the ridiculous sight. She didn’t even seem to notice who she had just scaled, simply peeked backwards as if fearful the snake might be following her. Her legs were looped across the small of the huge Were’s back, her arms tight around his neck as Paul stood there, bemused, arms slightly akimbo as if unsure where to put them. Then he actually chuckled, deep and quiet. “Snake?” he guessed.

_Apparently he knew her well enough to know of her phobia…_

She blinked, then blushed scarlet as she took in her position. But it didn’t stop her from clutching the asshole tighter and hiding her face against his shoulder as she nodded.

“Collin has it,” came her muffled reply.

Jacob didn’t stick around to hear anything else. He’d seen enough.

He’d gone to Sam and asked to be put on Patrol after that, and Sam, concerned but amenable, had agreed. It wouldn’t cover his shift for the day but at that point he hadn’t cared. He just needed to get away.

He wished he could say their interaction been an isolated incident. From what he’d heard, Paul became a normal fixture on movie nights. Even worse, Bella apparently spent those evenings in the bastard’s lap just like she had the first time. Paul was always quiet those nights, and if not exactly welcoming of the others, they found him less unnerving to be around.

Jacob wasn’t quite sure what to make of the situation at first, and despite what they had both said the day he had made his public apology, a part of him was still certain that she must, at least in part, be doing this to get back at him somehow.

Because now, she made plans to hang out with freaking _Paul Lahote_. Nights where he actually had time off in his painfully packed schedule that he had called her to hang out, only to be met with her voicemail. She always called him back, but when the first few words out of her mouth were, “Sorry, but Paul and I,” he tended to stop listening.

Once, he actually got the idea into his head to talk to Charlie about his daughter’s growing friendship with someone the man was uneasy about on a good day. It blew up in his face. Charlie already knew about it. Bella had done the mature thing and sat her father down to have a conversation about her newest friend. Charlie hadn’t blown up, because she had quietly informed him of everything he needed to know(no way in hell would she ever tell him about the day he’d spent napping with her in her bed after driving drunk to pick her up) and had insisted on sitting them both down for dinner.

It had apparently been terribly awkward, but watching the young man that even he had to admit unnerved him (though in a far different way than that Cullen twit had, the prick always eyed her up like the Hamburger a newly converted vegetarian craved) move around her carefully and oddly respectful of her, he had begun to cave. Paul never argued with her, never attempted to force her into anything ‘for her own good’. Even Jacob had been guilty of that behavior. He listened in his own quiet way. Charlie was in the Swan garage with them as the Shifter patiently explained how to wire the speakers into the old truck he had bought his daughter. He’d never thought she’d take to the old rusted beast the way she had, but the girl adored the thing.

Charlie was also no idiot.

He knew his daughter was set on being friends with the younger man, no matter what anyone said, and no matter how many nights he’d spent in Charlie’s own holding cell for one infraction or another. He didn’t bother with idle threats as he had Edward. He knew first hand that Paul could heal knife-wounds as fast as water flowed downhill. Gunshot might startle him, but would do little else other than eventually piss him right the fuck off.

He even told Jacob about the day he’d accidentally run his truck off the road into a ditch due to the heavy rain and some stupid kid in a red sports car. It had swerved in front of him and was gone again so fast that he didn’t bother to call it in, didn’t even have a description. He’d called Bella to let her know he was alright but was going to be late, and as was typical nowadays, Bella had Paul in tow when she offered to come pick her father up. His agreement had seen her appear just as the rain let up, and she’d jumped out of the cab, running towards him, her eyes scanning him to make certain he’d told the truth and was only bumped and scrapped. She’d actually jumped up after her search and hugged him. He would never admit to blushing under the attention, but he’d hugged her right back. Charlie then watched with shock and something close to awe as Paul, who had taken a closer look at his truck, slipped the keys from his hand and set the truck to neutral before walking back and reaching for the back hitch of the truck. He set his body, got a good grip, and then slowly pulled. The truck’s wheels had spun in the mud for a moment and Paul had actually laughed as if it were a game, before torqueing his body and pulling harder. The truck had groaned, then come free as it was towed backwards onto the pavement.

That was the beginning of Charlie’s acceptance of the young man, because Bella hadn’t asked the Shifter for a thing. He’d simply done it because it needed doing.

He ended the conversation with Jacob there, his voice vaguely disappointed and the young Alpha knew it was in his own underhanded tactics.

That he’d never shared the conversation with his daughter also went without saying, because Jacob was pretty sure, at this point, that this new Bella would have reamed him a good one.

>}:{<

The odd-couple of Pack-mates were often seen around Forks, Bella perched on the back of Paul’s bike. Seattle also saw them from time to time as Bella’s visit to her mother was quickly approaching and Jacob assumned she was indulging in a rare shopping spree or three for clothing.

Jacob had been furious when he found out, because she didn’t even let _him_ go with her when she went. She hated having other’s opinion of her clothing choices color her own. She rarely let _Charlie_ go. That she had let Paul go was like a slap in the face. The only other person she had freely shopped with had been Alice, and that was because the tiny Vamp had been like a force of nature when it came to doing damage to her black AMEX card. Bella had often laughingly recounted to him the times she had spent watching the little whirlwind of Pixy as she shopped till she should have dropped…were she a human.

Jacob shook his head to jump his train of thought back onto its proper track. _Not the point!_

The _point_ was…she was slowly slipping away from him. Spending more and more time with people who weren’t him.

_It wasn’t fair!_

He’d been her friend first! He’d been there when she fell apart, and had been the one to piece her back together! It should be _him_ she clung to in the dark, when whatever flick went bump in the night, because he knew she was like that. He _knew_ her, better than anyone. And before the incident in the theater, he would even have said he knew her better than her own father.

Now, he got to watch through the other’s minds as they grew closer, becoming easier with each other every day. He couldn’t even escape during the patrols, because of the God damned Pack-mind. Someone always saw something. Something new that hurt him, and forced him to run harder and faster as if he could run away from it all.

Then, his punishment finally came to an end and his days off were once more his own.

He’d been sure that Paul would finally be absent from Movie Night and had planned to be the one she sat with. Been so sure that he had strolled over with a spring in his step. He’d been invited back by the rest of the pack, and he’d felt relieved, because it seemed as if they had finally forgiven him for his mistake. He’d atoned for his abandonment of his position of both pack and tribe.

He’d finally regained the time he needed to attempt a semi-hostile takeover of Bella’s affections.

So you could imagine his horror to walk in and see Bella seated on the sofa…with Paul’s head in her lap. Her fingers were slowly raking through the long black length, scraping along his scalp soothingly as she went. His cold blue eyes glowed in the darkness, his glasses safely set atop Bella’s own head as she worked.

Jacob remembered his first day as a Shifter. He’d looked like the canine version of Cousin It after Phasing. He remembered the sadness he’d felt as his own locks had been shorn, the hair he’d worn long since the day his mother had told him how much she loved the length. He’d mourned yet another lost connection to his past as Sam had brushed it and braided it, before cutting it off with a pair of sheers. He’d then placed it into Jacob’s hands, his to do with as he pleased before skillfully clipping his hair short. He’d been lucky that Sam hadn’t simply buzz-cut him like some kind of Army recruit. His ponytail had taken its place amongst his keepsakes in a small box under his bed.

So why was it that everyone else had had to have their hair cut off but Paul was exempt? How was that fair? Down to the last Wolf, their hair had been shorn, even Leah, whose hair had reached to her hips before she’d been forced to ask her mother to cut it. She’d been unable to stomach the thought of Sam so near her at that point in time.

Half the other boys in the pack had had hair almost as long as Jacob’s. They, too, had sat for the scissors.

_It wasn’t right._

If Sam couldn’t be bothered to fix it, then he would have to. It was his duty to see to enforcing the rules. As the Alpha-to-be, it fell on his shoulders to uphold _all_ of the rules, both official and unofficial.

He couldn’t deny that he would take pleasure in what needed to be done. Taking from the asshole the very thing that Bella seemed to find pleasure in. Neither could he deny the fact that a part of him would gloat about just that. Thankfully, he couldn’t be punished for following the rules and mentally placed where he’d last seen the sheers and clippers, because he intended to shave that fucker _bald_.

He never noticed Sam’s eyes on him, the older Wolf sensing that something was amiss in the body language of the younger Alpha. He wouldn’t take his eyes off of Paul and Bella, no matter the movie on the screen. He never blinked, the look on his face calculating and enraged. Looking at the two in question, Sam could have smacked himself for not having seen it…because after a month of it, even he was getting used to seeing those two together. That he was practically in _her_ lap was a bit different, but no more intimate than they ever were.

There were boundaries still there, the friendship line was far from being crossed, and the friend-zone was still active on both of their parts. So they were closer than even Jacob had ever gotten with her, big freaking deal. Jealousy was a mean bitch as she apparently gave the kid a good hard ride. He just hoped like hell that he didn’t do something stupid…er.

As for Jacob…he was busily planning for the next time he could find the Bastard alone and force him to obey the rules. Fuck _anyone_ who said it looked like vengeance. And fuck Sam for his favoritism. He was done with it.

Luck seemed to turn in his favor as the movie finally drew to a close and the rest of them got ready to leave. Bella had gone to get her hoodie and bag, leaving Paul as he stood and stretched, rolling the kinks from his neck and shoulders.

He stepped outside, having already located the needed tools for the job. All he needed was the subject of his misery, and he didn’t have to wait long as Paul stepped into the tree-line.

 _“ **On your knees and be still**_.” The Alpha tone rang through his quiet voice, unmistakable and demanding.

Paul’s eyes widened, and for one shocking moment, as he went stone still, Jacob actually thought that he might resist it. Then he went down, eyes still unnaturally wide in his frighteningly still face. Those oddly elongated pupils dilated as if he’d been drugged. Something about the picture he made suddenly hit Jacob as very, very wrong. Paul was almost _too_ still, muscles coiled and taut as steel, breathing hard and fast as he knelt in the dirt.

Jacob shrugged off the sudden unease he felt as he stepped behind the other Shifter and lifted a hank of his hair, smirking to himself as he brought up the sheers.

 _“JACOB, NO!”_ Bella’s voice rang out into the night, but it was far too late as he hacked through the length fisted in his hand.

 ** _“Jacob Black, put the scissors down!”_** Sam’s enraged voice cut through the silence that echoed in the wake of Bella shocked outcry.

Jacob dropped his arm, scissors still in hand as the Alpha command forced him to do what he had no wish to do.

“ _Oh, fuck_ ,” someone whispered, and one look at Paul gave away the reason why. His face was set and expressionless, the black of his eyes nearly swallowing the blue as his head slowly tilted, face blank and eyes hungry. A strange sound broke through the quiet, the low warning snarl of a wild animal in a trap. The other Wolves backed away warily, some with hands in the air like humans trying to placate something dangerous.

Then Bella was there, her small body pressing tightly against Paul’s as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his unblinking face tightly into the crook of her neck, her eyes condemning Jacob for his actions even as she murmured soothing nonsense to the huge male she held so protectively.

Sam watched them with a pained expression, desperate to keep her safe, because if ever Paul would turn on her, it would be now. He could already see the signs he had feared to find in the towering Wolf. His hands were slowly clenching and unclenching as he fought for his freedom, that low, horrible sound climbing up his throat, now muffled against Bella despite its new volume. For one disturbing second, he was deathly afraid Paul might actually rip her throat out with his teeth as he continued to battle the compulsion laid upon him.

There was nothing Sam could do to help him, because one command could not be overridden by the command of another. Thankfully, just then, the kneeling Wolf’s entire body jolted as if hit by electricity before relaxing. His breathing slowly decelerated from the strained pace it had gained during his struggle to free himself. His eyes lost the wild, anticipatory gleam. Bella continued to run gentle hands over his shoulders and back, somehow settling the bastard and calming him back into a space where he might _not_ beat Jacob to within an inch of his soon to be lonely life once Bella’s back was turned.

And Sam knew then and there that Jacob had just completely fucked himself.

Jacob didn’t understand. No rules had been broken, at least none that he himself knew of. Yet she looked at him like he was some kind of traitor as she smoothed a hand over Paul’s head. Sam looked utterly disgusted. The others…? Not a one of them would look him in the eye.

But…all he’d done was what Sam had done to each of them. Why was _he_ suddenly the villain in all of this?

Yeah, he enjoyed the hell out of the sight of that hacked off hair that was now no longer than an inch below his jaw, because it was a tiny revenge for the theft of his best friend. He kinda wanted to laugh, because this whole situation had to be a joke. Couldn’t he catch a break? He’d been nice to Bella as she waved her new bestie in his face without a care. Been careful to keep his much needed opinion behind his teeth when it became clear that Paul had somehow fooled both of the Swans into thinking he was a good person. He’d had to see the memories of the others as they recalled the way those two had become so easy together, far from the awkwardness that Paul had displayed in the face of her snake-fear.

And then he was hitting the ground on his knees before curling into a fetal position, clutching his balls after Bella attempted to drive them back upwards into his body with a beautiful, field-goal-worthy shot from the steel-toe of her boot. Fuck, he’d once told her that if she needed to hit him, to do it with a Louisville, because he’d never feel it otherwise, but damned if she didn’t find a way to make herself be felt. Gasping as nausea flowed in, hot and swift, his vision going black around the edges, he panted for air around the pain, listening as Bella…sweet little Bella…raged at him.

“…God, I never thought you could do something so repulsive. I don’t give a rat’s ass why you felt the need to do this, whatever the fuck it was does _not_ give you the right to abuse your position. I thought you’d caved too easily when you apologized. Jesus Christ, All those times you used to brag that you were more grown up than me, well fuck you, Jacob Black!”

Holy shit, he was almost too sick to even hear what she was ranting about. But that didn’t stop her.

“…give one good crap about why you stood there and forced another _person, against their will,_ to kneel before you while you _assaulted_ him out of what?! Jealousy? No one here is stupid, Jacob, we all know that you did this to feed your own little revenge trip.”

“Oh, fuck…” he finally gritted out. _Why did she have to nail him in the nuts!?_

 _“_ Pack do _not_ use their position to force others around for their own pleasure. You think Sam ever sat down and went, ‘Gee, I wonder how I can piss everyone off? I know, let’s cut their hair!’ Cause I really doubt it,” she mocked, her tone as sarcastic as anything he’d ever heard. “From what I hear, you all look like The Shaggy Dog’s hairier uncle when you don’t cut it. Did you ever stop to think about that? And yes…it _was_ assault. You forced your will on another and took from them without their consent.”

Then she stopped for a moment, her face darkening with rage. God what he would have given to see one of her shy blushes at that point, or even see her stumbling over her own shadow. “Am I Pack, Jacob?”

The words were quiet, angry. And yet, somehow, he fell into her trap anyway. “What? Of course you are. Bella, what the fuck? How could you kick me? Why the fuck are you acting this way? This isn’t like you!”

“I’m beginning to think that you don’t know me at all, because you should know by now that I don’t like to be treated any differently than anyone else,” she spat at him. Then, reaching down, she ripped the sheers out of his nerveless hand, almost wrenching his fingers along the way. “Am I really Pack, Jacob? Because I don’t think you understand what the fuck Pack actually _means._ ”

And with that she reached back, snatched up the end of the long rope of her hair…and sheered it off with the scissors. With one last disgusted glace at the boy on the ground, she threw the rope at him, then stalked on towards Paul.

Reaching him, she stilled before the male, standing as he tentatively reached out and fingered one of her newly shorn locks where it curled wildly across her face. Pulling it straight, then smiling faintly as it bounced back into place. Then she reached for his hand and tugged at him to get him going.

She completely missed the look that crossed Paul’s face when he turned to glance at him from over his shoulder. Jacob shuddered, because that look was pure voracious rage just waiting to eat him alive. He didn’t know how she couldn’t see it in him, how she could stand to _touch_ someone so full of violence. And that’s when it hit him…that she’d only begun yelling at him since she’d met Paul Lahote.

The others had disappeared by the time he had finally managed to sit upright, when a heavy hand suddenly smacked him hard upside the back of his head. Swearing, Jacob flinched back, wary of another blow, when his gaze caught the dark eyes of his superior. “What the hell, Sam?!”

“You know, I never realized what a raving ass you are, until just now.”

Jacob could only gape at him in shock as he continued, rubbing his head and thankful it had stopped spinning from Bella’s earlier attempts to geld him.

“You sat there, and I fucking _knew_ that you were only paying lip-service the punishment you were given. Oh, get over it,” he sneered as Jacob started to protest, “You’re not that subtle. Just because Paul isn’t bound by our rules-”

“I _knew_ it!” Jacob derided, “I _knew_ you were treating him differently than the rest of us. That _freak_ gets to live, to _work_ off the reservation while the rest of us sit here freaking _poor_. You _never_ make him do shit, and he gets away with _everything_!”

“Not _those_ rules, you stupid little shit,” Sam bit out, cutting through his tirade. “Did you never notice that Paul never gets shaggy like the rest of us do when we Phase with long hair, you self-important little brat? That’s why I never asked him to cut his hair, which, he would have, by the way, _if it had been needed_. Did you miss the way he never shreds his clothing when he Phases on the fly? Or the way he’s _still_ dressed when he Phases back? That his mind is a freaking blank to the rest of us? News flash, it’s not ‘cause I allow it, it’s just an innate trait. And when you learn to do the same, let me fucking know how, because it’s not that I’m playing favorites. Jesus, did it completely bypass you that he just beat back your little Alpha command?”

Sam looked like he was fighting to wrap his hands around his neck, and Jacob scrambled back to escape his range.

“You are gonna _lose_ Bella completely if you keep this up, if you haven’t already driven her away! And yeah, it’s pretty damned obvious to nearly everyone _but_ Bella why you pulled this shit.”

Jacob flushed red with humiliation.

Sam sighed, shaking his head as he took a seat with his back to a tree. “Did I ever tell you about the time I actually forced myself into Paul’s head? You always bitch about how it’s not fair that Paul gets to keep his thoughts to himself and no one else can. Well, I thought I needed to get into his head. And guess what? I got into his head. And I felt like a damned rapist, because I was using force to put myself in a place I had no right to be.”

Jacob suddenly looked a bit sick at the analogy, but pressed forward anyway. “What did you see?”

“You are missing the point, Jacob. I had _no right_ to force myself into his head just because I had the ability. There has to be a reason _he_ was born with the ability to close us out, and I am not about to violate that ever again, just because I might want to know what the fuck is going on in that head of his. It wasn’t worth it. It will _never_ be worth it. I betrayed a trust, and I assaulted someone that, while he creeps me the fuck out sometimes, doesn’t _have_ to be ordered because he respects me. You obey me for the same reason. And somehow, you think that makes you better than he is.”

“But if he worries you, then wouldn’t it be better to-”

“It is _never_ better. We have so little privacy as it is, why would you invade another’s just because you feel you deserve it. Do you have any idea what that makes you sound like? That you used your power to assault him, and yes it _was_ assault, Bella nailed that one perfectly. It honestly makes me wonder if you will ever be able to lead this pack…because right now, I’m not so sure I would ever trust you to lead me.”

Jacob looked down, feeling more shame then when he had when forced to kneel in that stone circle and make amends to so many.

Sam stood. “So. Think about it. Will you be a benevolent leader, the one we need…or will you be a dictator, who demands what is not his out of pride?”

Jacob once more found himself left on his own as Sam disappeared into the night. His head was full to bursting, so many conflicting opinions and thoughts. Yet, as he looked down, all he could see was the lifeless braid that Bella had cut from her own head to make her point. A point that was painful in more ways than one. He reached out and picked it up, suddenly feeling more lost than ever and regretting everything.


	13. Down With The Sickness - Disturbed

It was going on eleven pm when Bella pulled up into the driveway.

Cutting the engine with a sigh, Bella turned to face her passenger, her face tight with worry.

The silence had been overbearing from the moment she’d led him away from the site of his attack. Initially, she’d been reassured after the tiny smile he’d given her just after she’d nailed her ex-best friend in the nuts. But now, she was becoming worried because Paul had begun to look oddly lost, even as his body language had shifted back to a wild aggression that downright concerned her.

Deciding against taking him back to his own empty house, not wanting to leave him on his own, she had turned towards home, thankful that he didn’t question their destination. Or maybe even more concerned than before, because while Paul didn’t normally say much, he at least made his opinion known. Now, he was silent as the grave and completely unreachable.

She knew that she should probably feel far more worried for her own safety; after all it was the cornered animal that was by far the more dangerous to anyone in his vicinity. They often bite the hand that feed them without remorse and Paul was much closer to his beast than any of the others.

But all she could do was worry for him because he had completely shut down, eyes cold and empty as his face became unnervingly still. It was like all the trauma victims she had ever heard about. He was pulled so far into himself that when she hurried around to his side of the truck, he actually curled his lip at her in a short, startled snarl when the door came open. He blinked, then it was like his face was inhabited once more, his gaze no longer that chilling, bleak void. His eyes narrowed faintly, but he didn’t snap when she gently grabbed his hand and urged him out of the truck. She counted herself lucky that he’d so inexplicably decided to give her his friendship because this could have been so much harder were he as violent with her as she’d heard he was capable of.

He kept hold of her hand as she led him up the path to her home, her body as close to him as possible as if she could somehow protect him against the world.

Jacob had walked a very dangerous path this night. Had he been anyone but the Alpha-to-be with the authority of the Alpha command to back him up, she felt sure that Paul would have ripped the foolish boy limb from bloody limb for what he had dared. That it could have spiraled into disaster before anyone could have intervened was a certainty. And it still might, because Paul wasn’t likely to forgive and forget _quite_ so easily.

Just as Bella wasn’t so sure _she_ would forgive and forget. Sure, she had just made a glaring mistake. She had once more resorted to violence to get her own point across, and for that she would have to make reparations. She had never been the violent type before and this marked the third time in a week that she had used force where words had failed her. Those words had been needed, however, and would have felt like poison were she to attempt to swallow them down.

Even if he chose not to listen, words were by far a better weapon when wielded properly than any use of force could ever be.

 _The pen was mightier than the sword…_ words she usually lived by.

So why was it that her very first instinct after Jacob had done something so heinous to Paul was to hit him the place where it would physically hurt the most?

All she knew was that she had what looked like a shell-shocked Shifter following after her as she led him by the hand through her darkened home, the place silent but for the occasional murmur and cheer from the living room where the game must be on.

“It’s just Dad and Billy,” she murmured when he drew up with a growl. His eyes glowed eerily in the shadows, his head canted wolfishly as if attempting to decipher the meaning behind her words…as if wherever it was he had gone to was lost to human language. But apparently, having decided that no harm could come of following her, he once more settled into her wake as she slowly traveled down the hall and towards the kitchen.

Pushing aside a wayward curl with a huff of frustration, she made a mental note to ask for permission to use the clippers and sheers to make an attempt at repairing the hack-job done on the both of them. At least hers was somewhat even, and the natural curl would help to conceal any possible mishap she might make with the scissors.

Paul’s…was another matter. Long and satin smooth, the chunk missing from it was glaring in its absence. She wouldn’t be able to hide the hacked portion amongst the rest with careful styling. It would all have to be cut, and since he had refused to have it done when the others had, she supposed that he might be rather attached to it.

Just looking at it made her angry all over again.

It wasn’t about the hair, not really. It was about what it stood for. Jacob’s attempt to control and equalize what he saw as an injustice had resulted in the violation of another Pack-member. If she were to be fair, she honestly suspected that Jacob had not truthfully thought out what his actions might mean. It would have amounted to little more than a mean prank, but for that stupid command. He had used the best weapon at his disposal to get his way, little caring that an Alpha order forced another to act in a way that might be as foreign to their being as Paul’s nature differed from Jacob’s own. _Sam never used a command for personal gain. It was always used for the safety and wellbeing of others._

With that command, jacob had physically forced another to bow to his own selfish wishes. In fact, the only way it differed from out-and-out rape was in the sexual aspect.

 “Bella? That you?”

Bella felt Paul tense up against her back as the unexpected voice filtered through the house from the living room. That same low growl from before rumbled up his body through his chest. She’d never imagined such a sound could be produced through human vocal chords, leaving her with a sharper awareness of his _otherness_.

Turning, she tugged him towards the kitchen table and stood on one of the chairs to bring herself closer to eye-level. Then, she reached up and slowly pulled him closer, settling his face into the crook of her shoulder while running her fingers soothingly through his hair, thankful he allowed her near his neck as she carefully massaged the taut muscles, attempting to relax him. Her books on wolf behaviors suggested a gentle scruffing to help relax an upset animal, and this was the closest she could get when up against the thickly corded neck under her grip. Soft, wordless tones fell from her lips, gentle rambling and nonsensical things that meant little in the overall scheme of things, because he was gradually relaxing under her grip, no longer shifting uneasily from foot to foot as if waiting to see whether he should attack or hold his ground.

There was a shuffling sound in the doorway, then light suddenly flooded the kitchen.

Bella wanted to strangle whichever Fate thought _now_ might be a good time for Charlie to appear in the kitchen doorway. Paul’s self-control seemed shaky at best, and adding more variables to the situation was only going to make it spiral further out of control. As soon as the sound of the light flicking on had reached them, he’d turned, eyeing Charlie as if sizing him up. There was no overt threat in his posture, but he was wary.

Thankfully, Charlie came no closer. Face tight with unease, hands up to show their emptiness, he slowly backed up until his back hit the doorframe.

“You ok, Bella?” It was the logical question of _any_ father with their daughter in the grasp of a wild animal.

“I’m fine. We just need a few minutes to calm down.” She never looked away from Paul, gradually urging him back around to face her. His eyes were still blank of anything she recognized as distinctively _Paul_ , worrying her, because what did she know of controlling him were he to lose it entirely? Part of her wondered if she shouldn’t have gone back to Sam, though she suspected that he would have been every bit as clueless as to how to proceed. As it stood, Paul had yet to attack anyone. Maybe she just needed to wait this out with him.

She wondered what kind of short-circuiting had to of occurred to have caused such a drastic shift in behavior.

Or maybe this was the Shifter equivalent of PTSD…

Something about what Jacob had done had triggered a separation between human and animal instincts, because her Shifter was most assuredly running off of the later. He wasn’t using human body language, and unless she were very much mistaken, not everything he was conveying was in the canine lexicon of communication either. There were touches of something else that Bella couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“Take all the time you need,” Charlie said quietly, eyes intent on the pair. It seemed that whatever it was that Bella was doing was working. He had originally come into the kitchen to warn her of the time once he had deduced that she wasn’t alone. He had suspected she had Paul with her, because of the lack of elephant-like thudding that usually accompanied the footsteps of the other Shifters. Her voice, low and pacifying, had reached his ears, and something about the tone had clued him into entering the kitchen with caution.

He really didn’t know what to make of the tableau he encountered once the light flooded the dark room. It had looked like a simple embrace, and he hadn’t really thought much of interrupting it, it was his prerogative as a father after all. Then he’d gotten a good look at the two in question. Both startled, though Paul’s variation was by far the more disquieting. _Because he’d never seen the boy look more inhuman than he did in that moment._ Eyes wild and lit with cold hunger, face still and expressionless, the beast that resided within was making itself known.

The parent in him demanded that he get his kid as far from that dangerous situation as possible, but the sensible man, thankfully, had a better grasp on the situation. Bella obviously had things well in hand, and it had slowly become clear over the times she had brought the young man around that he wasn’t likely to hurt her. It stood to reason that it was instinct at this point to keep her from harm at his own hands. He had to hope that this new version of Paul felt the same, or things were about to get scary.

He had backed further away, because distance seemed to settle the young man, when he found himself stumbling over an unexpected object. Paul’s gaze once more sharpened as he took a step forward and it was only Bella’s quick actions that stopped him as she reached out and curled her hands over his shoulders, throwing her weight backward to hold him in place. Charlie warily yanked himself upright, disliking the anticipatory quality of that chill blue stare.

“What’s going on?” Billy’s voice was loud and abrupt in the suddenly crowded doorway, and Charlie realized that he must have tripped over the front wheel of his wheelchair. Even more unfortunate…the wheelchair-bound man had drawn Paul’s attention. His upper lip curled into a snarl as a low, vicious growl crawled up his throat, eyes flashing with brilliant hate.

Billy, for someone generally so wise, wasn’t showing it just then as he continued to advance. That animal growl only ratcheted upwards as he came, and both of the Swans wanted to yell at him, but again they were in accord: startling Paul could only escalate things. Bella attempted to bring Paul’s attention back to her, both hands squeezing his shoulders and running down his back. She was deathly afraid that Paul would see the older man as crippled prey to be picked off and slaughtered. Another step forward, and she could see his fingers curl like claws as if he would rip Billy’s throat out with his bare hands. His lip peeled back further from teeth that suddenly looked a great deal sharper than a human’s, the canines long with a slight inward curve and her eyes widened at the sight, even as what little shadow remained in the kitchen seemed to draw closer, the temperature actually dropping a few degrees.

Terrified that he might escalate into a rage that she feared she would be unable to reach him through, Bella stumbled off her chair in an attempt to get between him and the oncoming car-wreck just waiting to happen. “Billy, I need you to leave,” she stated clearly, her voice as steady as she could manage given her wracked nerves.

“Bella…?”

“Now. Move slowly…and whatever you do, don’t show him your back. Please, Billy. I love you, but I need you to not be here right now.”

“As an Elder, explain to me how you could control this situation better than I could, and I’ll think about leaving.”

Paul had finally stopped advancing, pressing himself solidly against Bella and staring unblinkingly at Billy. Without taking her attention and hands off of him, Bella huffed in frustration. “Look at him Billy. Does it look like your Elder status means anything to him right now? All he sees you as in this moment is prey. And honestly, even if he wasn’t running off instinct, I doubt he would want to see you considering Jacob just used _his_ status to violate every personal and moral boundary the pack has established. “

Bella’s tone, while abrupt, was not disrespectful. “I know you probably don’t want to hear something like this about your son, but I need you talk to Sam and not Jacob about this situation.” Her eyes briefly met his. “I’m sorry Billy, but Jacob has been lying to both the Pack and himself. I doubt he even realizes how he is justifying his actions. That being said, I need you to leave this kitchen. Now.”

There was a strained silence as Billy contemplated her words. As a father, part of him wanted to refute her words without solid proof. And yet as a leader, several facts gave weight to her words. Billy knew Bella was a horrible liar, and even as a child she had always told the truth and assumed any punishment for wrong doing without complaint. More importantly, she had requested he speak to Sam, a man whose words had never called in to question and who had assumed a responsibility not his own, at great cost to his personal freedom, because the true leader had yet to reach maturity.

Realizing that he was attempting to involve himself in a situation currently beyond his understanding, Billy inclined his head in a nod to Bella. “Charlie? Can you help me out here?”

Moving cautiously and keeping in mind Bella’s previous instruction to not turn their backs to Paul, Charlie maneuvered himself behind Billy’s chair and began to back out of the kitchen. But before he left their line of sight, a soft “Dad?” drew his attention.

Gesturing to a wayward curl with one hand, Bella quirked her lips wryly. “Can we borrow your clippers?”

Smiling softly at his daughter, this woman-child who played with Vampires and Wolves but still returned home to ask for her father’s help, Charlie nodded. “Sure thing Bells.”

>}:{<

Bella peeked around the corner yet again as she worked at neatening her hair into a semblance of a hairstyle.

After escaping the kitchen, she had placed Paul on her bed, where he had sat stiffly on the edge, eyes as wild as anything bred to hunt and kill for the pure pleasure of it. She could only hope that he would snap out of it, though it didn’t keep her from glancing through the doorway from time to time to see if there had been any change.

Sighing as she was once more disappointed, she moved back to the mirror and carefully brought the clipper down on the ragged ends of a curl.

She’d been lucky, because if her braid had been any looser, she might have been stuck with an unfixable mess. As it was, her hair was in big loose curls that haloed her face in a way even she was forced to admit was semi-attractive. Bella hadn’t worn her hair short since she was a child, and supposed it was only habit that kept it long. That, and the ease of simply brushing it out and throwing it up atop her head. _Much_ easier than trying to find a hairstyle and sticking to it every six weeks.

Mentally shrugging, she might as well be honest and admit that she was a bit lazy about her hair.

She was just about to make an attempt on the back when the clippers where gently removed from her vibration-numbed hand. Blinking at the blue eyes that gazed down at her own through the mirror, Bella was deeply relieved when she saw that those eyes were once more inhabited by a human intellect.

Paul’s fingers gently slid through the chopped curls, before glancing down and bringing the clipper carefully across a single curl, angling it and neatening the strands he held captive. Bella relaxed when it looked like he knew what he was doing and let him proceed as he saw fit. She was rewarded in her faith with the slow, upward tilting of his lips into a relaxed smile. A fully human smile lacking the Dracula-like incisors.

Smiling back, even though he wasn’t looking, she allowed herself the luxury of enjoying the gentle tug of her hair, the soft tingle of her scalp as he worked.

He was nearing the end when he finally spoke, though so quietly she almost missed it... “I’m sorry.”

Bella blinked as the most improbable of sentences actually left his mouth, because it was something she would never have imagined him saying. But his eyes watched her with an intensity that spoke of sincerity. She turned to face him so that it was _him_ she looked in the eyes and not his reflection. “You have absolutely nothing to apologize to me for,” she stated firmly. “Your self-control was stolen from you by someone who should have had the moral fortitude to know better.”

His eyes softened at her defense of him, and Bella smiled, pulling him down for a quick cheek-nuzzle before turning to allow him to finish.

He blew the clipped hair from the back of her neck with a warm blast of air, and she could only be thankful that whatever freakish, annoyingly virginal reaction she’d had the last time he’d done so didn’t reoccur. His fingers gently tugging at her curls left her with chills that she wanted desperately to ignore, and Bella was glad she didn’t start twitching like a dog getting its ears stroked.

“Done.” His voice dragged her out of her semi-tranced state and she blinked away the haze.

It looked…good. Better than she had hoped, even, and she’d been optimistic to begin with.

Deciding that enough attention had been paid to her own hair for the night, Bella steered him over to the commode and sat him down to begin on his hair. “Want me to just even it out?”

He pulled his shirt over his head then turned to glance at her over his shoulder. “Ever cut hair other than your own?”

Bella smiled, even as she noticed that that tattoo of his had once more relocated, now curling its muscular bulk around a bicep. Swallowing down the question that desperately wanted to surface, she put his shirt aside. “Sure. I cut Charlie’s and a few of the deputies’ when they don’t just buzz it off.”

His lips curled in a touch of dark amusement. “Not a bad job on any of them.” And sadly, he’d been around them enough to know. The faintly unsettling thought rattled around her scattered mind before she put it aside, watching as he lifted a brow, before facing forward once more. “But no. Go crazy, Swan.”

Crazy had turned out to be an edgy undercut. She fished out Charlie’s sheers as well and started clipping away the longer strands till it was just long enough to graze the jawline. Sectioning off the top and tying it back, she changed the blade on the clipper to a slightly longer cut and clipped the underside till it was short and sleek like cat’s fur and she had to stop herself from stroking him like one. The rest of it she razor’d at the ends, then brought out a brush and pulled it back again before smoothly twisting it into a knot.

Dampening a washcloth, she stroked it along his neck and upper back to remove any stray hair, then reached for the broom to begin cleaning the floor as he stood up and moved towards the mirror. She didn’t have the guts to watch his face as he got a look at what she’d done, because it wasn’t exactly a typical hairstyle. And though she very much liked how it looked, a gorgeous blend of biker and punk, _he_ might not be such a fan.

A low hum of speculation reached her and she fought not to cringe.

“I like it.”

Bella swallowed down a sigh of relief, not wanting to show her own uncertainty over her choice to cut it the way she had. It honestly felt a bit selfish. It was _his_ hair and she’d gotten…creative. It still had length. In places. There was no part of the cut that looked like he’d been in a prizefight with a hedge-trimmer. It actually looked professionally done, which she was proud of. But still, she’d gotten lucky.

She also realized, after she’d finished, that she had just completely screwed herself. Because she was just now grasping that she might… _just_ _might_ …have a thing for the ‘bad boy’ type.

She’d never met a more perfect example of the creature. Jail and fist-fights, a motorcycle and a highly questionable moral compass. Granted he hadn’t killed anyone, but she was damned sure it had been close today.

And he’d been unfairly gorgeous before, but now, due to her own foolishness, he had an exotic twist to him that only made him look far more eye-catching. He wasn’t hiding that ridiculously beguiling face behind hair that had been highly distracting in its own fashion. Friend-zoning him in the first place had been painful. Keeping him there was scarcely any easier, and it was only the fact that she was sure that approaching him with anything other than strict friendship would see her exiting his life that kept her on the straight and narrow. And that was _before_ she’d gone and made him look like some kind of freaking pin-up.

It was as he stepped towards the shower and began to flick open the buttons of his fly that Bella realized she was still staring and hastily made for the exit, pulling the door she behind closed her.

“Hold up a sec.”

Pausing just over the threshold, Bella waited, then blinked as his jeans went sailing over her head into the hallway.

A _tiny_ little part of her wanted to go into shock, because he was _naked_ just feet from her. She was an eighteen year old girl whose closest friend could headline at a high-end strip-joint. He had a very specific problem with personal physical boundaries…he had none, as she had learned over time. Hugging, cuddling, anything and everything, as long as it was strictly friendly, was on the table and he had never even blinked. She suspected that he wouldn’t mind if she were to turn and face him in all his glory, because he didn’t really get that he was supposed to have modesty. Though that last also might be due to the fact that he had absolutely nothing to be modest about.

“Could you bag those for me? I have another pair in the drawer. Those are covered in mud.”

Shaking herself out of her Paul-induced stupor, she found that the denim was, indeed, streaked from knees to ankles from the dirt he’d been forced to kneel in.

It wasn’t the first time he’d come to her house streaked in grime and tracking various other things in from the outdoors. After about the fourth time, Bella had simply emptied out a drawer for him. It was far easier than having to drag clean clothes around with him whenever he came to visit her.

A part of her wondered why she’d never done the same for Jacob. But then she realized that he might have taken it wrong. “I’ll just wash them. No big.”

“Thanks.” Hearing the sounds of the shower curtain being pulled into place, Bella took the time to escape and regroup.

She knew that he _seemed_ back to normal, but she wanted to keep an eye on him tonight just in case. The day had been traumatic enough, she didn’t want to add loneliness to it. She knew he might never talk about it, but she could see it in him. She didn’t know why _she_ was the only one to see it, but to Bella, it was glaring.

Slowly making her way down the stairs and into the laundry room, she was just pushing the button to start the load when her dad’s quiet footsteps sounded across the kitchen floor, coming to a halt in the doorway.

“He gonna be okay?” Charlie’s voice was as quiet as his pace had been, as if making certain not to startle her.

After checking that the finicky machine was running, Bella turned and smiled. “I think so. He’s back to _his_ normal, at any rate.”

Charlie crossed his arms and scuffed his toe against the tile floor. “That’s good. For a minute there, I thought he was gonna kill the old man.”

“I think maybe he smelled Jacob all over him and it set him off,” Bella hypothesized.

Charlie seemed to mull that over for a moment or two. But he looked truly hesitant to ask what he did next. “What did you mean…when you said that Jacob had violated him?”

She bit her lip, pondering. Part of her wished that she hadn’t’ve said that in front of her father, because he _adored_ Jacob. And angry as she was at him, she didn’t hate him, nor did she wish her father to.

_She still didn’t understand why she’d been so volatile lately…_

“Bella? He is one of my dearest friend’s children. I want to know what he did and if I need to revoke his invitation to this house.”

Bella sighed, then attempted to explain what she really didn’t understand. “We were having movie night as usual. I’m not really sure what set him off, because he seemed cheerful enough when he walked through the door, but he lost the good attitude about three seconds after, then spent the rest of the night glaring at me. After it was over, he apparently laid in wait for Paul in the woods, then Alpha Ordered him onto his knees, where he then cut his hair off.”

“I don’t understand…why would you call that violation? I mean yeah, it wasn’t his hair, but...”

“Because Jacob used his position to force Paul to his knees and then again forced him just kneel there while Jacob took from him out of some weird kind of jealousy. It wasn’t done because it _needed_ to be done. He robbed Paul of his free will because he wanted revenge.”

Charlie’s eyes went hard. “Are you serious? Because that’s a pretty severe offence.”

“Whatever it was that let Paul break the command turned him into…well, you saw him. He wasn’t right, and to be honest, Dad, yeah…I was afraid he’d hurt Billy before he could get a grip on whatever it was driving him. That wasn’t like him.”

“Jacob didn’t cut your hair too, did he?” The over-protective papa in him was about to start seeing red.

“No. I did that. It was a…loyalty thing, I guess.” Now it felt kinda silly, but at the time, she had felt like it was the only thing she could do to show him how stupid he was acting.

“Good. That’s…good.” And back to Charlie the Awkward. Bella wanted to smile at him, but it wasn’t really the right time, and she didn’t want to explain that she thought her dad was adorable when he was being awkward. “So is he..?”

“That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.” Now it was _her_ turn to scuff her toe and wind her fingers together. “I was wondering if he could stay over?”

“Now, Bella, you know that I only let the other two spend the night because they’re like brothers to you.”

“But he’s nothing more than a friend! Really! And I will keep the door open so you can peek in just like I know you always do!”

Charlie blushed a bit at being caught out. Though he had to admit he had stopped checking in when Embry stayed over, because the boy was every bit as brotherly to her as Sam was. Jacob had been the only wild card, but he had allowed it because Bella had never seen him as anything more than a little brother.

But Paul? He was a whole new animal, to pardon the pun. “Bella, I don’t think that-”

“Please? I think he really needs a friend right now, and from what I’ve seen,” she lowered her voice to a bare murmur, “I don’t think he has many.”

And there was the truth of it all. Bella couldn’t stand to send him off to be alone after all of the crap that had happened. Charlie sighed, because honestly, the girl rarely asked for anything at all. He wanted so badly to deny her this, but…he couldn’t. His conscience wouldn’t let him. “The door stays _open_ at _all_ times.”

“Thank you!” She rushed forward and threw her arms around his neck in a hug that was surprisingly strong for such a little person. “I’ll even cook breakfast!”

“Then you’ll need to get to bed.” He hid his smile as he hugged her back, though inwardly he knew he would be checking on them every few hours. He’d learned to trust Paul around Bella, but he was still an adult male about to be sleeping in his daughter’s bed.

“I know, but I have to put these in the dryer when they’re done.”

Charlie waved her off. “Go to bed, kid. I can handle the dryer.”

She smiled, even as she rushed out of the room, and once more he marveled at this young woman he had learned to respect…ready to fight him not for a pair of shoes but for the right to care for a friend in any way he might need. “Thanks, Dad. Night!”

>}:{<

Racing up the stairs, Bella hurried towards Paul’s drawer and pulled out another pair of jeans that she then placed before the bathroom door for Paul to find when he emerged. Heading back into her room, she noticed a package on her desk. Her father put all her mail there and she was curious as to what lay inside.

She had just pulled open the brown shipping box and pulled out its contents when an envelope fluttered to the ground. Bending over to pick it up, she found it addressed to her in her mother’s handwriting.

_Smelled this and thought you might like to add it_

_to your collection_

_Love, Mom._

Bella chuckled while rolling her eyes. Her mom had been giving her bottles of perfume for years, though she rarely wore the stuff. And now that she hung out with guys that happened to have supernaturally enhanced senses of smell, she had forgone her collection completely. Still, the bottles were pretty and she made sure to keep them sealed so as to prevent the sometimes overwhelming scents from spilling out and attacking some poor, unsuspecting Werewolf.

She was just pulling the plastic off a bottle of Obsession when Paul came into the room, a towel draped around his neck, clad in a well-worn pair of pale jeans. She turned to tell him about his sleeping arrangements when she noticed him go very still. His face was not the same kind of blank as before, but it was… _disturbing_ none-the-less.

“Please…don’t wear that.”

Wondering at his reaction but deciding to attempt to downplay it, she smiled at him. “I don’t wear perfume anymore. It knocks you guys for a loop. Mom is slightly oblivious,” she continued with a chuckle, hiding her relief as he seemed to lose the stiffness in his body. “I told her I don’t wear the stuff anymore, but she keeps sending it to me.”

Face relaxing as he watched her, his eyes were lambent in the dim light of the bedside lamp. His voice was quiet as he spoke, “I don’t mind perfume…sometimes. I just don’t like that particular brand.”

Bella laughed, and gently teased him. “Paul Lahote knows one brand of perfume from another?”*

He inhaled, and for just a moment, his face was wild again. “Lahote is _not_ my name. It belongs to my mother and her husband.”

Bella blinked at him in shock, unsure what he had meant…until she got it. Her lips parted with a tiny, dismayed gasp.

“My mother wore that perfume. Said it made her irresistible. Said that my father had _loved_ it on her.” His lip curled at the memory, and once more those teeth were glittering sharp in the darkness.

“She came home one night…I think I was almost sixteen at the time. Drunk as fuck and going on about how she was gonna find my father. The bastard who walked out when I was two. Left us both.”

He growled low in his throat. “Then she saw me…called me some name. Illarion, I think. Said I had come back to her.”

Bella carefully stepped forward, unsure of her welcome for the first time since becoming his friend. And yet, at her approach, he dropped to his knees and pulled her closer until his face was buried against her chest, and she found herself holding him, completely horrified by the confession.

“Then she tried to touch me,” came his muffled voice. “Cried when I kept shoving her away. She must have knocked sense back into herself at some point because she sobered up real damned fast. Said I looked exactly like my father, right before she went out the door. I never saw her again.”

Bella squeezed him harder and tried not to cry. But it wasn’t over.

_“I look nothing like Gabriel Lahote. She took my name from me as well.”_

She’d ripped away the last of his childhood innocence…


	14. Who'll Stop The Rain -Creedence Clearwater Revival

This was becoming a habit.

Sitting in his kitchen with his head in his hands, pondering on the whims of Lady Fate and her hard-on for fucking with him.

Sam took another pull of his beer and wished it wouldn’t take quite so much effort to get drunk. Effort he didn’t care to muster at the time. He had far too much on his plate, anyway.

Billy Black had finally been clued in to the happenings of his wayward son.

Sam hadn’t been expecting it. It was a toss-up as to whether he was relieved that he wouldn’t need to track down the tribal Chief and bring up the topic, or irritated that he was caught unawares by the man, himself. He hadn’t yet had time to sit down and take a mental tally of everything he needed to convey. So when Jacob’s father had knocked at his door, he had been caught completely flatfooted when the first words out of his mouth had been ‘we need to talk’.

How did one convey the fact that you believed someone else’s progeny had almost bought the proverbial farm due to said progeny’s own actions?

So he had simply nodded and stepped back to allow the Elder into his home.

“It has been brought to my attention that Jacob has been acting in ways that are not appropriate to his station.” Billy’s dark eyes had watched him with a quiet intensity that left Sam feeling a bit wary. And it hadn’t escaped his notice that he had referred to Jacob by name…not as his son.

 _Shit_ , had been Sam’s first thought. Because something must have happened.

“I was at Charlie’s last night when Paul showed up with Bella. He was incapable of human interaction and upon further reflection, I discovered I had made a mistake. I put myself into a situation beyond my understanding or control. And but for Bella, I am now certain he might have done me grave harm.”

Sam had closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I was not made aware of this.”

“It appears there is a great deal that both of us need to be made aware of,” Billy had said a bit more kindly. “Now, let’s start from the beginning. Tell me all about this mess involving Paul, Bella, and my fool of a son.”

So Sam had spilled everything. From the very first day, till the day Jacob had found out about the blossoming of the strangest friendship he had ever seen. She had tried to be fair to Jacob, but the boy had spurned her attempts, pouting when she had made previous plans with Paul and refused to break them. He seemed unable to grasp the concept of first come, first serve when it came to Bella’s time. The last month had seen Paul welcoming Bella into his life with an ease he had never seen in the wild Shifter.

He had informed the Chief about Jacob’s justification of playing hooky for his shift, and winced at the tightening of the older man’s face. He knew right then, that he should have told him earlier. Sam had no idea why he hadn’t, other than some random hope to keep Pack business inside the Pack. Now he saw the huge, untapped resource he had let sit by the wayside.

But the tight face was nothing to the flush of temper that had crawled over the older man’s face when informed of his son’s assault on another Pack member. Sam had actually jumped when the man’s fist banged down heavily on his kitchen table. His subsequent silence had been even worse.

“Bella was there, and I’m not sure how, but she pulled Paul back from snapping Jacob like a twig,” Sam had continued.

“She did the same later when they showed up at Charlie’s,” Billy had said, his tone subdued.  

Sam had looked up, brows raised in question. He’d thought for certain that Bella had taken Paul to his _own_ home after everything that had gone down.

“Charlie got up to talk to her and then things went to hell in a hand-basket. Of course I didn’t help things by trying to throw the weight of my status around in an attempt to control things,” Billy had said somewhat bitterly. “Especially in light of what you’ve just told me.”

Sam had moved to the refrigerator then and pulled out a couple of beers, silently handing one to the man who looked like he could definitely use one.

“She’s never going to see him the way he wants her to…is she?”

“Who?”

Billy had taken a drink, then sighed. “Bella. Jacob has always wanted that girl…and she can’t see him as anything other than her brother.”

“I hope you’ll pardon me for saying it, but I can’t say I blame her. He tries to control her. He lies to her face. He has twice laid hands on her and the second time left her with bruises. She forgave him for that, too.” Sam hadn’t mentioned that he had yet to do the same. She was his little sister, damnit. He only had one of those.

“She should never have had to forgive him,” Billy had said sadly. And he had every _right_ to be sad, Sam had mused. His own son had betrayed his upbringing. He couldn’t afford to be lenient because it would be a show of weakness in the eyes of his people. He also could not afford it because his son had committed these acts against his dearest friend’s daughter, even if Charlie had yet to be told about it.

Sam had already had words with her about the subject. He was very uncomfortable with the fact Charlie was unaware of Jacob’s decent into idiocy. But Bella insisted that she had handled it and that it would not happen again. It hadn’t. And yet…somehow he wasn’t relieved. And a part of him knew that he never would be until he took it out of Jacob’s hide himself.

Unfortunately, he’d been raised to respect females and so when Bella told him no, he listened.

“I’m his father and I failed to see this.”

“Billy, before this thing with Paul and Bella, _no one_ saw this coming.”

The older man grunted before tossing back the rest of his beer. Silence reigned in the sun-drenched kitchen as the Chief mulled over the information he had just been handed. Finally, he scrubbed a hand down his tired face. “He’s left me with precious few choices. I can’t have him running about like some entitled little brat.”

And right there, Sam had felt everything going to hell yet again. Because nothing about that statement could possibly-

“Either he toes the line or I’m going to have to resort to handing the inheritance of the tribal leadership over to another family member.”

Yup…there it was…that little pain he’d felt in his gut was Fate’s pointy little elbow slamming home. Shit. Shitshitshit. Not that he couldn’t understand where the man was coming from. After all, he himself had told Jacob that he didn’t feel all that confident that the boy was currently equipped to handle the responsibilities of running the Pack. Giving him the chiefdom of his tribe would be like a whole new dimension of stupid at this point in time. Even Quill would have been a better choice and the kid’s favorite word to date was ‘fuck’. Granted he was very creative in its usage, but still…

With Billy confined to a wheelchair for the foreseeable future, it would have been far more likely that Jacob would have assumed the position of Chief sooner rather than later. Now, he stood to lose everything…his birthright as Chief’s son, his father’s trust, his best friend, his pride when the other tribe-members found out.

Sam hoped like hell the slight would not push him to attempt a hostile takeover of the Pack just to regain _some_ of the position he had been born to.

Not that Sam wanted to remain Alpha. Far from it. His life would be _infinitely_ easier were Jacob to step up and take over. But it had to be done when Jacob was ready…not when he _thought_ he was ready. And he wasn’t even close.

Emotionally, he was still just a sixteen year old boy. Physically, and unfortunately hormonally, he was at his peak. And while some people handled growing up with grace and aplomb, others came off the rails. Jacob’s normally sunny disposition was swamped by emotions and drives he had no understanding of. He was born to be Alpha, giving him the urge to dominate his peers, adding yet another layer of the crazy.

He was still lost in thought when Billy finally sighed and patted him on the shoulder as he passed him by on his way out of the kitchen.

And here he was…still drinking and wishing like hell it would do him some good.

Somehow, he missed the muffled thud of his kitchen door opening, and the light, stumbling gate of the girl who entered. “Sam?”

Sam swallowed wrong and choked, spluttering beer and feeling his eyes water then burn as it fizzed up his nose. Flailing a bit, he coughed to clear his throat.

Bella winced in sympathy. “I didn’t mean to startle you…sorry.”

“What are you doing here?” Inwardly, he winced at how accusatory he sounded. She’d never needed an excuse to visit him before, why would she need one now?

“I just came to tell you that I wrote a letter for Jacob that I hope you can deliver for me and, to warn you that he might not be terribly happy about the contents,” she said hesitantly. “I know things have been hard lately, and I wanted to warn you in case he has another fit.”

“Jesus.” Sam wanted to slam his head against the table, but knew it would be fruitless for more than making him cross-eyed for a few seconds. “Is this really necessary?”

If she was going to give Jacob false hope by telling him that they needed to talk it out, Sam was gonna pull his own hair out. By the roots.

Bella drew back a bit, before straightening her spine and eyeing him. “Yes it is. I don’t want there to be any confusion as to why he and I are no longer best friends. Why I no longer want to spend time with him, and why I said what I did. I apologized for assaulting him and can’t take that back, but I’m not sorry for what I said. So yes…I don’t want him to wait around for me to forgive what he did. Because I won’t.”

Sam blinked. That…was not what he expected. He had expected the girl to recant her accusations and crumble. And a part of him was damned proud of her. She was standing up for someone who she felt had earned it, no matter his reputation. That it was Paul who had earned such loyalty was shocking in itself. He had never been the type to inspire softer feelings. Yet he had in Bella, as she had apparently done the same in the untouchable Were.

“So. Care to tell me about last night?”

Bella lost her defiant pose as soon as Sam relaxed back into his chair, taking a seat next to him. “I didn’t want him to be alone after…that. You didn’t see him after we got back to the truck. He was so lost, Sam. There was no Paul there and I was seriously afraid that he would hurt Billy before he came back from wherever it was he went off to.”

Sam gritted his teeth. “And it never occurred to you that he might hurt _you_?”

Bella rolled her eyes. “He’s about as likely to hurt me as _you_ are.”

Sam wished he could be so certain. Or maybe she had the assurance of the innocent. She’d believed that Edward would never bite her, and he’d proven her right. She’d believed in every one of the Cullens, and again her faith had served her in good stead. So maybe he didn’t like her tendency to trust where she shouldn’t. Didn’t like that she was sticking her head in the proverbial lion’s mouth and daring it not to take her head off.

“He slept with me last night and didn’t so much as kick me in his sleep.”

And maybe her faith was founded in something he could never understand. Because Paul let no one close…no one but some little human girl who should never have been able to handle him but did so with ease. And he _let_ her. Let her touch him and hug him and use him in her experimental food recipes. Paul, who never took food from the hand of another.

_Who was never satiated by any meal no matter how much he ate._

He remembered the very first time Emily had met Paul. And how hurt her feelings had been when she tried to hand him a plate piled high with her efforts. He had turned from her without a word and left the room. She had felt rejected by him, and was hardly mollified when he later returned for the dish. The damage had been done. And Sam had been just about to confront him over it, because hurting another Wolf’s imprint was never tolerated, when something he had once heard about the truly wild animals had pinged in his memory. They never took food from the hand of a human.

From then on he had watched. And true to form, Paul _never_ took food from anyone’s hand…anyone’s hand save Bella’s.

He _still_ didn’t understand it. But then Bella was the exception to many rules. She was the first person to have a wolf imprint on her in a sibling-like capacity. The first to survive close quarters with vampires, especially one that claimed her as his Singer. Sam had been more than a little horrified with that particular bit of knowledge. She was also the first outsider to be allowed into close contact with the Pack. So it stood to reason that she also might become the first to-

“Wait…he _slept with you_?” And just like that, big brother horrification suddenly commenced.

“Just like Jacob and Embry do. The door stayed open, _dad_.” Bella snickered at the way his voice had climbed full octaves.

Sam couldn’t fathom it. It was all so _wrong_. Bella was eighteen years old and Paul, no matter _how_ strange he might be, was a full-grown man. A big, angry man who had never before hesitated in the face of harming another…and yet, he had never so much as scowled at the girl. The girl who he had previously held in contempt.

But…he hadn’t even hinted at anything derogatory since the day he had met Bella face to face. That in itself had been a bit suspicious. And if he didn’t know better, he would have sworn that Paul had imprinted on her. But there had been no desperate, needy attraction between the two. No instantaneous drive to throw each other down and have their way with the other one. It had been just a slow coming together of two people who couldn’t be more different, yet found some way to mesh their vastly differing personalities into a seamless friendship. 

A small hand waved itself before his eyes, bringing Sam back to the present. “Anyone home?”

Reluctantly, Sam smiled before reaching over and gently ruffling her newly shorn curls. “Very funny. Just a bit preoccupied, kid. Looks good, by the way.”

Bella huffed at him and straightened it as Sam’s smile melted into something a little more genuine. “I haven’t worn it this short since I was six years old.”

“It’s cute.”

“Puppies are cute. Kittens are cute.”

Sam laughed. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” Because the cut was kinda sexy. Not that he would _ever_ tell her that. He could barely stomach such a thought about his imprint-sister...he would rather lock her into a chastity-belt and toss away the key.

He was idly musing over her reaction to such an accessory when a small, white envelope was gently shoved across the table towards him. He tilted his head and glanced at it as the amusement slid off his face, then rolled his eyes upwards toward Bella. “You really sure you want to do this?”

Bella bit her lip, her eyes sad as she watched him tuck the letter into the pocket of his hoodie. “I don’t think I am anywhere near ready to forgive and forget. His behavior is starting to draw out the worst in me, and I hate that I am beginning to resort to violence to make my points with him. He’s not a bad person, but for whatever reason, he can’t seem to get his mind around the fact that Paul is my friend. He wants me to pick between them. Choose one or the other.”

“Paul never asked me to choose. He respects my right to make my own decisions, and until Jacob can do the same, not just for me but for the others as well, I can’t be his friend.”

Sam just smiled faintly and reached out to squeeze her hand. He knew it was the mature decision to make, even if he felt bad for all parties. Because she was right. Jacob was _not_ a bad kid. He had his good points just like everyone else. It was just a damned shame that lately, the devil on his shoulder had a bad habit of binding and gagging his conscience before tossing it into a mental closet. “If you do this, you won’t be able to come to all the Pack gatherings, anymore…I need to be fair and give partial visitation rights of the Pack to both of you.”

Bella’s eyes watered a bit, but she nodded. “I know. And you are his Pack. He needs you guys.”

Sam scooted back and dragged her into his lap where she buried her face against his shoulder. “You’re Pack, as well, little sister. Don’t forget _we_ need _you_ , too. Besides, pretty sure Emily _and_ Leah would band together to hunt you down if you never came by again. I kinda shudder to think what the twins would do to Jacob, too.”

She gave a watery little chuckle, but thankfully didn’t refute him. Sitting there, he rocked her slowly, smoothing a hand over her back as she got it out of her system. Jacob had been her best friend since she was old enough to understand _why_ she shouldn’t eat the mud-pies the two use to make together. Jacob had still been a toddler.

Now, years later, they had become a tightly knit duo that looked to withstand everything Fate could throw at them. Until She found the one curveball no one could have anticipated in the form of one Paul Lahote. Paul, who allowed himself to be befriended by the very person he had denigrated. Easily and without any putting up any kid of fight. Paul, for whom the fight was as necessary as breathing. Who, on any given day, was pure trouble _wanting_ to happen.

“Why does this have to hurt so much,” she mumbled.

Sam just held her tighter. “You care about him. After everything, you still care. You’re not heartless and you’ve been friends for most of your lives. I’d be more worried if you _weren’t_ upset over this.”

“I just feel like this horrible person-”

“Hey!” He pulled her back and lifted her chin until she looked him in the eye. “You are _not_ a horrible person. So you kicked him a few times…you think that he hasn’t gotten worse from any of us during training?”

Bella snorted at him, and he was grateful to see her stop hunching her shoulders in shame. So she had kicked Jacob in the nuts…big freaking deal. The boy had nursed broken bones after a few particularly rough practices. Once, he’d pulled a Wile Coyote and gone sailing off a cliff after Macey had pulled a fast one and leap-frogged over his head. He’d actually laughed that one off despite the ensuing concussion.

That it had been Bella to kick him might make it a bit more emotionally painful…but he’d survive.

“What’s going on?” The feminine voice from the kitchen doorway drew both of their attention.

Bella almost fell out of his lap before he could steady her as she whipped her head around in surprise. It was only quick reflexes that saved his chin from a painful jarring as Bella’s forehead went by.

“Bella! I was just thinking about you!” Emily hurried forward to hug the girl. Now, admittedly, when she had walked into the kitchen to see Sam with a girl in his lap, she’d been a bit startled. She trusted him implicitly, above and beyond the imprint imperative to never lie to his mate, but still…Sam wasn’t exactly the huggy-touchy type beyond a very specific group of people, so ‘unknown girl’ in his lap had warranted a question.

Then Bella had turned to see who had come in and it had all made sense. It was the hair that had thrown Emily, because despite what Sam had mentioned about the previous evening, she still expected to see Bella with her long hair pulled up.

“I heard what happened last night,” she continued, her voice soft with sympathy as Bella hugged her back. “I’m so sorry you had to be in the middle of that. Are you okay?”

“ _I’m_ fine. It was Paul I was worried about. Jacob may have committed an epically stupid act, but I knew he wouldn’t hurt _me_.”

 _Save for the bruises he’d already left on you,_ was Emily’s less than charitable thought. She’d seen the girl’s arm and hip and had been as incensed as Sam was over the entire thing. It had taken everything in her that night to not haul off and hit Jacob over the head with her rolling pin. And sure she was only human, but she was almost as protective of Bella as Sam himself, imprint-bonded or not.

Sam got to his feet as his girls walked towards the kitchen counter, Emily pulling out the ingredients for Bella’s favorite cookies.

“You two good while I run Bella’s letter over for Jacob?” At Emily’s questioning glance, Sam nodded towards Bella. “She can fill you in while I deliver it. Billy should be home and I suspect it would be better if Jacob got it from his father instead of me.”

Then he was out the door and jogging down the lane.

>}:{<

Jacob had always considered himself to be a decently mature individual.

He was bright, reasonable and generous with his time to anyone who needed it.

So how was it he suddenly found himself standing in the proverbial corner with the dunce-cap firmly in place?

Sitting in his room with the darkness surrounding him, he’d had a moment of brutal clarity. He had fucked up on a mammoth scale. He had wronged so many people, some by accident and others by intent.

 _Intent_ …Jesus he had intentionally attacked someone. Granted he didn’t _like_ the man, but that didn’t give him any right to commit the actions he had. Sam was right…he had been so tied up in his dislike of Paul and his need to knock him down a few notches that he had messed up his relationship with the girl he loved.

The girl who he had grown up with and knew better than he knew himself…or had known himself. Lately, he wasn’t so sure about the person he was becoming. This person who was selfish and controlling towards someone who couldn’t defend himself due to Jacob’s own actions. This person who, even now, felt a hum of base satisfaction at the knowledge that he had embarrassed his rival.

The part of him that wanted to see Paul down in the dirt was _not_ who he was. It was wrong and inhuman and… _Wolf_. And he _hated_ it. It felt alien to him, even after all these months, this thing that was supposed to be a sign of spiritual strength. The Wolf whispered its desires in his head and he would fight them. And it was so hard…harder so far than anything in his life had ever been.

Some days, he honestly wondered why he wasn’t Pack-blind like Jonah. Unable to adjust to his reality and undesiring of ever doing so. The younger male still had to be monitored by the others, now more than a month after his first Phasing. And Jacob wondered if it shouldn’t be the same for him…someone to nose him back onto the correct path.

It shouldn’t be Sam’s job. But it was, and Jacob couldn’t be more grateful for the other man’s sense of duty and responsibility. He ran the Pack like some giant, oddball family. In several ways, even closer than the one some of them had been born to.

They _needed_ the Pack…so why was it that Jacob, in his heart of hearts, was _still_ unable to accept his station in life?

He was born to rule; from the people he protected, to the Pack he served in. He felt overwhelmed and lost. He wasn’t mentally mature enough to handle either, he could see that now. Because he was far too focused on a girl.

_God, how bad might it have gotten if he’d actually have imprinted on her?_

He almost didn’t want to think on it.

Tied to her through body and soul, how would he have survived it when she drifted away from him? Because she had…due to his own fuck-ups. He knew she wasn’t with Paul romantically, and he had still allowed his jealousy to drive him to commit an act that even _he,_ with his normally forgiving nature, would have found hard to forgive.

He had stolen another’s free-will. That was not a simple mistake. Not something he could be pardoned for with a simple ‘I’m sorry’. Though he knew he would have to say it. He would never be able to live with himself if he did not seek to make amends, somehow.

“Jacob?”

His dad’s voice trailed up the stairs, the tone tired…and resigned. _Fuck…_

 _He knew_.

That was the only thing that rang through his mind for a few moments as his eyes closed and he swallowed a groan. He didn’t even bother to try and suss out how his dad knew, because Sam would have rightfully told him. It was his job as Pack Alpha and…his friend to be honest, to inform Billy about concerns as to Jacob’s mental and emotional well-being

“Jacob, come down please. We need to talk.”

He took two more seconds to get gather himself for his impending doom, then slowly made his way out the door and down the stairs.

>}:{<

Billy looked up as his strapping son entered the kitchen like a meek child. At first he was inclined to be angry about the sight he was being offered, because from what he had heard, Jacob had been doing a damned fine job at presenting as penitent when in truth he was feeling anything but.

But Jacob’s dark eyes shown with true shame and misery. His face didn’t have the look of a boy attempting to hide his hand in the cookie jar, but more like the expression of the boy who knew very well that he’d been caught and was truly regretful of his thievery.

_Damn…and didn’t that just make this harder?_

But the letter from Bella felt like a burning coal where it resided in his jacket pocket, refusing to be ignored.

“I’ve spoken to Sam. Is there anything you want to say before I begin?”

The boy just shook his head, defeat in every line of his body as he slumped down into the chair to face his father…his Chief.

“May I ask why you did it?”

Jacob sighed, a low gusty sound in the quiet of the room. “I was jealous. She was spending so much time with the frea- …with Paul,” he corrected himself. “It seemed like every time I was free to hang out with her, she wanted to spend time with Paul.”

There was no whining to his tone, just a sad honesty that hurt Billy to listen to.

“Seeing them sitting there...so comfortable with each other. I don’t know. Something in my head kinda flipped over and I lost it. I know I can’t excuse what I did. I know I have to make amends. I have no idea how, but I know I need to.”

“And you know I can’t just let this go. Not as your father, and not as the leader of this tribe.”

Jacob just nodded, slowly as if his head were heavy. His shoulders were slumped under the weight of his shame.

“So I have considered this. I’ve weighed your actions of late against the good of our people. Against your Pack brothers. And I have come up with three options. It will be your choice how we will proceed from here, and it cannot be undone. It is my duty as Chief to see to the safety and well-being of the Quileute people. I cannot give you a pass simply because you are my son.”

Jacob winced, but said nothing.

“If you are ever to lead, I must be assured that you will do so with body, heart, and soul, as befits a good leader. I cannot dictate the workings of your Pack…it is not for man to decide, after all. But I _will_ decide who succeeds me. So your choices are as follows; You can abdicate your position as heir, with no shame. If you feel unequal to the task of leading our people well, then please, do not do us…yourself…the disservice of forcing yourself into a mould not meant for you. I will appoint a new heir and we will move from there.”

Jacob blanched, eyes wide with shock.

“You can choose option two. A list of tasks to be performed to the utmost of your ability. You will learn to respect your position amongst our people. You will learn what it means to be a leader. And you will do it under my direction. You will make amends to those who you have wronged, and you will do it _honestly_. To fake an apology is almost as bad as committing the offence in the first place. And it is not worthy of someone in your position. A dishonest leader is no leader at all.”

Jacob felt his face burn with shame, but he bit his tongue…because it was the truth. “And the third option?”

“You continue as you have…and I will be forced to remove your status as heir to the Chief to the Quileute people. You will always be my son, but you will no longer be in a position to hurt our people as you did. Because you didn’t just hurt one person last night, you harmed the trust of a dozen people who looked to you for leadership. That will take time to heal. And some may not forgive you.”

And with that, Billy gently placed Bella’s letter on the table.

Jacob eyed it with a mixture of curiosity…and fear. Because he recognized that neat, studious hand.

Carefully pulling the paper from the envelope, he began to read. And felt his whole world tilt on its axis.

Letters formed words that he wanted to reject from his reality. Words that told of Bella apologizing for her own actions, telling him that she loved him. Would always love him, but could not stand this person he was becoming. This stranger who would hurt others…who she could not trust, because he had hurt her as well. Emotionally.,and physically. He wanted to be sick, because he’d not known that his hands had left bruises on her.

Then came the part that just about destroyed him utterly.

She didn’t want to see him.

She didn’t want to be around the stranger she did not know.

And she wasn’t ready to forgive him. Didn’t know if she ever could.

The paper warped in front of his gaze, and for a moment he was confused. But the hot tears that escaped his eyes and ran down his face told him why. And he suddenly didn’t want to finish reading.

Because Sam had been right. He’d lost Bella. And he had no one to blame but himself.


	15. Teenagers - My Chemical Romance

Bella stifled a yawn as she pulled forward in line at the drive-through. It was seven-thirty am, and she was desperate for caffeine. She wasn’t a real big fan of the taste of coffee in the mornings, so a supersize cola would have to do the trick.

“That bad, huh?”

Bella groaned and rolled her eyes as Angela chuckled quietly from beside her in the passenger seat.

Ever since the incident two Sundays previous, Bella had been having trouble getting to sleep. No nightmares, thankfully, but the only good sleep she’d gotten had been the days Paul let her crash in his bed with him in the afternoons when she’d go visit him after school. She’d end up tangled up with him, and for some reason it soothed her into unconsciousness. She was grateful for it, even more so that he had grown comfortable enough with her that he didn’t mind cuddling with her to _let_ her nap. Then she’d go home and…nothing. Rolling around for hours had become habit.

“Yeah,” another yawn. “That bad.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

Bella sighed and dropped her head onto her crossed arms for a moment. There was so little of what was happening that she could actually talk about. But maybe she could edit…?

Pulling forward as the next car in line reached the window, Bella looked downward and counted out her change. “Well, you remember Jacob? Next in line to be chief and all?”

_Easier to go with that; trying to explain about the Pack, without explaining about the Pack, would have been next to impossible._

Angela reached into her pocket and pulled out a couple dollars to cover her own order. “Yeah, I remember you mentioning that at some point or another. He _is_ pretty young, but you always said he was mature for his age.”

“Well, he sure proved _me_ wrong about two weeks ago.” At Angela’s questioning glance, Bella continued. “He ended up using his position to hurt another of my friends.” Crap…what could she _possibly_ say about what he had actually _done_? She had promises to keep and lives of her own to protect, and letting slip even the question about _how_ Paul had been hurt was not well done of her.

But Angela _didn’t_ ask, much to Bella’s relief. Instead, her head whipped around in shock. “Wait…Jacob _Black_? Jacob, who you’ve known since you were little…that Jacob?”

At Bella’s nod, Angela blinked as she digested this new facet of a boy she’d only ever heard good things about. “Wow…who did he hurt?”

“Paul.”

“Paul…the big guy with the…muscles?” Angela pushed her glasses up with a finger in an attempt to hide the faint blush that stained her cheeks.

Bella bit her lip in an endeavor to hide a grin because really, even a blind person would notice the way any room seemed to shrink with his presence. And while Angela may wear glasses, she was far from blind.

“That’d be him.” She answered as she pulled up to the window and paid for their order. Taking a gulp of her drink before hitting the accelerator, Bella handed Angela the cup as she nosed Bess into traffic. 

Angela finally grinned as the blush faded. “He’s kind of impressive.”

It was Bella’s turn to blush. “I know. And if I could just convince him to _stop_ getting naked, I think my brain would be able to function around him.”

The other girl gaped, jaw dropping and eyes huge behind her glasses. “You’ve seen him _naked_?!”

Bella frantically backpedaled. “Not _completely_ naked! Just…stripping down. He doesn’t really seem to notice when I’m in the room…or maybe he doesn’t care. I’ve walked in on him changing for work a few times, had to rush out of the room a few more when he went to take a shower.”

“I think I wouldn’t have been able to move. He’s kind of…”

“Ridiculously attractive? Yeah, he is.” Bella giggled. Because seriously, as much as she valued him as a friend, it was impossible to _not_ notice his appeal. He was all smooth golden skin _everywhere_. Pure grace and a lazy, unconscious sensuality that was apparent in every move he made. Of course, it didn’t hurt anything that he was built like walking, three-dimensional porn, and that was when he was _fully_ clothed. She could only pray that she escaped with her sanity intact were he ever to strip down completely before she could escape.

“Holy crap…naked? Just. _Wow.”_

Bella groaned. “I can’t think about that. My brain might melt. Can we go back to Jacob?”

Angela snorted. “Fine, but we _will_ be talking about this later.  Anyway, back to Jacob. I take it Paul’s assumed Jacob’s place in your life?”

Bella’s smile was a bit more sober this time. “He’s so…different than anything I was prepared for. I heard all the stories about him, and I was honestly expecting a rabid animal just short of foaming at the mouth. And he’s anything but. He’s good to me, listens and never tries to make my decisions for me.”

And Angela understood. Because Bella had finally admitted to her months ago just how controlling Edward had been. How he would ‘convince’ her that everything was for her own good. And her friend’s emotional distance those last few months before the Cullen’s had skipped town had finally made sense.

Bella had had to learn to trust her own decision making abilities again, to learn that she was perfectly safe doing so after the number that superior little twit had done on her. Angela had been perfectly willing to wait patiently by the sidelines and cheer the young woman on. But along with being her emotional cheerleader, she was also prepared to be her reality check. She wouldn’t be surprised if Bella truly didn’t comprehend just how attracted to Paul she actually _was_. And Paul, while she’d never really met the guy in more than passing, seemed to reciprocate, because _really_? Stripping naked? That wasn’t the act of a platonic friend.

Her patience and understanding is what had separated her, in the end, from Lauren and Jessica. The girls had genuinely wanted to be friends with the new girl when Bella Swan had first begun to attend Forks High. But Lauren’s social-climbing nature and Jessica’s desperate need to fit in had made things difficult.

With Lauren, she had seen the new girl as something exciting, something novel in the tiny town of Forks Washington. That they were so different was something unforeseen and had thrown the teen-queen for a bit of a loop. She didn’t know how to get along with someone who didn’t gossip. Who had no interest in going to the latest club, or who had no need of the designer labels one would want to be seen in while in said club. Yet she had tried. And when Bella had withdrawn into herself, she hadn’t known how to respond. So she had taken it personally and treated Bella like any _other_ stepping stone on her way to the top; cut down and put into the place Lauren had deemed she belonged. It hadn’t helped things that Mike had developed an interest in Bella, because as much as Lauren might deny it, she still had a soft spot for the boy and couldn’t stand it that he might have moved on.

Jessica was another story. She was far more accepting then her usual companion. Kinder on any given day…provided she was far away from Lauren. More given to forgiving what might have been perceived by some as a slight. She had no previous romantic entanglement with Mike, and so was far more likely to believe Bella when told that the new girl had absolutely no interest in the boy. She was a little more observant than Lauren. She could see Bella’s fascination with Cullen from that very first day. The strange boy had been every bit as fascinated with the new girl. She, personally, had found it to be a bit unhealthy and co-dependent of them but hey, it wasn’t her relationship. So yeah, Jessica had admitted to being a bit of a kiss-ass where Lauren was concerned, at least she didn’t need to be the center of _everyone’s_ attention; she just had a higher drive to fit in than most and it made her a bit of a follower.

“I’m glad he’s being a good friend,” Angela continued. “Is he gonna be okay?” When Bella lifted a brow in inquiry, Angela clarified. “Paul. He’s okay, right?”

“Yeah, he’s okay. He was pretty upset by it for a bit but he cooled down after a few hours.”

She didn’t mention that she _still_ wasn’t too sure about Jacob’s eventual fate at Paul’s hands. She’d heard from Sam that Jacob had been punished to the fullest extent by his father. And it was a pretty steep punishment. But he’d been slipping far too much lately. Apparently, she and Paul weren’t the only ones to catch Jacob in lies.

But because of her decision to estrange herself from the young man, now she got to see her extended family only a fraction as often and that was more than just a tiny bit stressful. She wasn’t due to see the Pack till tomorrow, because Jacob had laid claim to Friday with them since he was due home for chores on the weekend. Not that the Pack cared to spend the day with him from what she understood. Very few would even look him in the face.

The twins actually snarled at him whenever he came near. And Embry…Poor Embry. Jacob had been his life-long friend, even longer than Bella had known him.

But now, he couldn’t even bring himself to be around the young would-be-Alpha. His instincts were all in a jumble. Part of him wanted to be there for the other boy who had been there for _him_ so many times throughout his life. But it was battling the other parts of him. The part that was bound to Bella and wanted to rip Jacob’s hands off at the wrists for daring to touch her and the part of him that was utterly disgusted by the fact that his friend had forced himself on another.

Leah, who had been off the night of Bella’s first little rebellion and so missed Jacob’s manhandling of the smaller girl, had threatened to remove something precious to Jacob if he ever touched anything precious to _her_ again.

Bella had been touched. She hadn’t known that Leah had actually liked her all that much. The older girl had a tough exterior that she showed to the world, and it took a lot to get under it. She’d not known that she’d succeeded until Sam had told her of the ultimatum. And she’d never bring it up because Leah might use it as an excuse to back away again. Like rubbing her face in her vulnerability. She’d just continue to treat Leah like she always had…human and normal.

“Any consequences for what he did?” Angela’s question wasn’t the gossipy tone that would have made Bella clam up tighter than Fort Knox, just simple concern. And Bella treated it as the courtesy it was intended to be… 

“Oh, he’s paying for what he did. _Dearly_.”

>}:{<

It was midafternoon when the last of the Wolves due for that afternoon’s little get together trickled through the door.

Nearly everyone was agitated in some way, though there were a few marked exceptions. The most obvious example was Quill. Unusually quiet as he took a seat next to Embry on the couch, his typically ever-present smile was conspicuously absent, his eyes downcast as he waited for Sam to take his own seat. He’d been like this since the Sunday previous….no wisecracks or even so much as a smile. 

The only real exception to the pall of unease that hung heavy over the room was Paul. Lounging with deceptive ease against a wall, Paul was being his normal inscrutable self. The others surreptitiously avoided his space as they moved about the room, in Leah’s case, pacing in slow, abstracted loops around the room as she attempted to reason _why_ things had suddenly changed.

She had been there when Jacob had screwed with Paul, been as afraid as everyone else that they would soon be short one Pack-member. Paul had looked so alien that night, so utterly terrifying. She’d had to give credit to Bella’s metaphorical balls of steel for the way she’d de-escalated the situation. No one _else_ had been willing to step up. Not even herself, much to her own embarrassment. Paul unnerved her to the core of her being, frightened her even. That Bella made free with his person was beyond her…Leah couldn’t even bring herself to look him in the eyes when he was sans-shades, no matter _how_ good looking he was. There were honestly very few who _could_.

But this new wrench in the spokes had to be about Bella, this loss of her that they all felt, because Bella had become a part of their fucked up family. She was _their_ human. Not to be harmed or threatened. The one who accepted them no matter what they were. And to Leah, who could barely accept _herself_ , _that_ was something priceless. So not seeing her as they were used to was unsettling.

Oh, she wasn’t gone permanently, but she had made it a habit to at the very least check in with them every day. Now, they rarely saw her outside of the times when she drove through town to go visit Paul. As if she were purposefully avoiding something. Leah knew it wasn’t the Pack, because when Bella called, she was always so excited to talk to everyone.

_Everyone but Jacob._

Because she wouldn’t speak to him.

Not that Leah could blame her after Jacob’s grand fuck up to end all fuck ups.

 _No_ _one_ blamed her, because no one even wanted to be around him after that. No one would look him in the face. No one wanted to speak to him. No one wanted to be close enough to him that, if he decided to have another tantrum while Alpha-ordering them, he could hurt them worse than he had tried to hurt Paul.

Then, finally, Leah had had enough. “We’re all here, Uley. Now what the hell is going on? Why is Bella avoiding the Rez?”

Everyone suddenly turned to towards Sam, leaving to poor man to stumble over himself for a few moments. Pulling up, then discarding ideas. He wanted to protect all parties for various reasons but what it all came down to was Jacob had fucked up publicly. Everyone knew it and no way could he hide it.

Finally, he sighed. “Fuck it. You all know what happened the other day. Jacob abused his position in an attempt to get one over on Paul. And he paid for it. Bella laid him low and Billy gave him a few ultimatums of his own. As a result of that night, Bella has subsequently decided to sever her friendship with Jacob. She wrote him a letter to this end. She is now simply giving him time to settle down before the three of us sit down and work out a schedule to time-share the Pack.”

First there was complete silence. No one knew quite what to say, until-

“ _Fuck. That_.”

And Macey was up off the couch.

“No way we trade Bella for some uppity, whiney, half-assed little wannabe Alpha. I respect the fact that she wants to be fair about all this, but I say we ditch the twit and keep the babe. No one wants to be around him, so how is it fair that we lose Bella-time in trade for someone we can’t stand?” Macey sneered at the door as if Jacob were just on the other side, instead of patrolling with Jonah on the other side of the rez. 

“I agree,” Leah stated coldly. “I don’t want anything to do with him. Not after that little stunt he pulled. I don’t trust him.”

Sam cleared his throat uncomfortably, because while he personally agreed with them, ultimately there was not a damned thing he could do about it. He couldn’t very well ostracize the kid who would ultimately become his leader. It would show poor leadership skills on his own part if he couldn’t even resolve the differences between his Pack-mates. Jacob could still be Chief of the tribe in coming years, and needed a few good examples to counter his own apparently stunted impulses. Shunning him would simply show him that forgiveness was not an option to be explored. “Unfortunately, that subject is not open for debate.”

 _That_ started a free-for-all as everyone began raising their voices to be heard over each other. Even Seth, who most days just wanted everyone to get along, had an opinion that was every bit as loud and pissed off as anyone else. Not that any of it would do any good, because Bella had already taken care of the issue.

“Paul?” He needed to make certain that Paul wouldn’t kill Jacob while Sam’s back was turned.

Paul lifted a brow, but responded. “He’s already down. Don’t feel the need to kick him further.”

_Thank god…_

But telling the rest of _them_ that was an exercise in futility. They only got louder. Sam was busily thumping the back of his head against the doorframe as Kim got involved, so upset she started bawling in the middle of her sentence about the unfairness, and didn’t the human Pack-members get a say? Then finally he’d had enough. “There is nothing to discuss because Bella already agreed to it! It was _her_ idea to stay away from him. I warned her in advance that I would have to be fair and let them both have Pack time, but-”

“But if it weren’t for that selfish boy, we wouldn’t be losing her at all,” Leah growled, frustrated.

She was a little more worked up over the subject than Sam would have expected. But then she’d been a bit clingier of her family in the last few months than she had been before her Phasing. Part of him wondered if it might be a bit of a delayed, redirected reaction to the near loss of her own father in the process.

“We aren’t losing her. She will still be around.” He tried for patience, but all he got was Leah’s shapely backside as she snorted in disgust and stomped out the door. But then again, without knowledge of Billy’s ultimatum, he supposed that it _might_ look like favoritism. He scrubbed a hand down his face, then gritted his teeth as he realized that Paul had also escaped while his back was turned, his ability to move in utter silence despite his huge size always a source of amazement.

Throwing up his hands, Sam finally gave up. “All right. Out! All of you!”

He couldn’t even begin to convey how relieved he felt when the loud-mouthed, opinionated Pack finally vacated his house. They were arguing amongst themselves still, their voices echoing through his head along with the beginnings of his headache.

 _He needed a good nap_ …

>}:{<

Saturday afternoon finally rolled around, bringing nearly every off-duty Wolf in for a visit.

With Bella due in at any second, even those who were committed to sleeping the day away put it off so as to spend time with their human Pack-sister. Emily and Kim had shooed all the Wolves away with promises of cooking food as they urged them to wait for Bella’s arrival _outside_ where the weather had been forecasted to be cloudy and temperate for the day.

Sam had leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Emily’s scarred cheek before herding the rest of them out the back door onto the deck. And while half of them did attempt to stop along the way and sneak a taste of the pies cooling on the counter, he eventually got them outside while inwardly swearing that it was like herding _cats_.

That was when the rumble of the big red beast echoed down the lane and he smiled, jogging around the side of the house to greet her as the others rushed along behind him.

Bella grinned as she saw the welcoming committee through Bess’ windshield. Ten Wolves waited semi-patiently in the driveway like a pack of overgrown puppies as she came to a stop and parked the truck. Hurriedly hopping out of the cab, she took a running leap at the twins, laughing as they caught her up and squished her into a three-person hug that quickly became five when Embry and Seth joined them.

Leah simply crossed her arms over her chest and watched them, though it wasn’t hard to spot the glimmer of satisfaction that the younger girl was back.

Sam finally waded into the group and plucked Bella from the crowd of overgrown male Wolves when it looked like they weren’t going to back off and let her breathe. “C’mon, you guys. Ease up! There’s no need to crowd her, she’s not prey. Besides, Emily will kill _all_ of us if we don’t get her inside so she can say hello.”

Macey reached into the cab and pulled out Bella’s bag that had been left abandoned on the seat and shouldered it with a theatrical groan as he carefully shut the door. “Geez, kid…you packing bricks in this thing?”

She poked him in the stomach with a playful smirk. “Wuss. It’s just school books. I have to study this evening.”

“Aww,” Pierce whined as he came up from Bella’s other side and draped his arm along her shoulders, absently steering her towards the direction of the back door. “I thought you were gonna watch movies with us?”

They had decided to hold two movie nights this week because Bella would have to miss the normal night. Victoria hadn’t been seen in weeks and everything seemed quiet. The body count in Port Angeles had also tapered off, leaving a great big Pack with nothing to hunt so two movie nights in a single week were no longer outside the realm of possibility.

“Can’t I do both?” Bella asked with raised brows.

“Psh, a movie isn’t worth watching if it only garners half your attention.” Macey wrapped an arm across her back from the other side.

They had just made it through the door when Emily spied them and hurried over to get her own hug from Bella. “It’s good to see you! You were missed!”

Bella squeezed the woman into a tight hug of her own and reveled in the feel of _family_. Because that’s what they all were to her. One big, hyperactive, occasionally dysfunctional, family. Sam may have been the leader by default, but he had embraced his place with a genuine desire to care for the youngsters…no matter how bat-shit-crazy they could occasionally drive him. They were _his_ Pack. _His_ boys and one lone female Wolf, for better or worse, until Jacob became the kind of leader he needed to be.

Emily expressed her love through food and outright mothering. Even Leah was not exempt, no matter how she had tried to fight it in the beginning. She wasn’t ready to forgive nor forget how she had lost Sam to her cousin. But fighting it was simply unhealthy because it would change nothing. Sam was been taken from her by the great ancestor of her people. And while Fate was a mean bitch, she always had her reasons.

The rest….well they all had their places. Places that could never be taken from them. The clowns, the drama-queens, the Zen masters and scatterbrains, all of them more or less had a family to call their own outside of the one they were born into.

_All but Paul._

Then Bella forced the thought from her mind. Now was not the time to be bitter about how things were. She didn’t _want_ to sit here and be angry at her Wolves for something they couldn’t help.

All humans beings had things they feared, and most tended to avoid those things. It was unfortunate as hell that Paul fell into that category. And while a part of her could understand it-Paul didn’t exactly act like he’d ever existed on the mortal side of the spectrum-athe rest of her insisted that since he _was_ a part of their Pack, they should have learned to accept him a bit better.

Indeed, there were precious few of them that truly made the attempt. She was proud to say that her metaphysical brother was one of those few. Her favorite twins were also amongst that number, as was his cousin.

And speaking of his cousin…

Jared had moved through the crowd and leaned a hip against the table next to Bella. “Heya, Shrimp.”

Bella just huffed at him, before wrapping a slim arm around the small of his back and hugging him. “What’s up, Gigantor?

Jared just grinned and hugged her back. “We missed ya. “ He tugged at a loose curl. “Like the haircut, by the way.”

“I missed you guys, too! It sucked not being able to drop by anytime I wanted.”

Jared ducked his head, his expression sobering a bit. “You know, if you’d have actually given us the choice between you and him…?” he trailed off.

Bella reached up and patted his arm. “I know you all feel like that, now. But he needs you guys, too. He’s already lost so much these last few weeks.”

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re defending that selfish little shit! Not after what he pulled!” Jared’s voice dropped into a low growl, one that brought Sam’s head whipping around.

But Bella just waved him off before hopping up to plant her backside on the table, legs swinging absently. “Don’t worry. I am nearly the last person you would find defending him at this point.” At Jared’s lifted brow, she continued, “pretty sure that last place is occupied by your cousin.”

Jared snorted. “I still can’t believe Paul didn’t kill him for that little stunt. I think Sam was worried that we’d be burying the Chief’s son out in the woods. In pieces.”

“You know,” she began, only to be cut off by the slam of the front door. There was silence for a few lingering moments…

Then Paul, himself, stalked through the doorway.

Almost as a single entity, every Wolf in the room shifted to keep from showing Paul their back. It was like some Pack instinct when a higher caliber predator approached to keep from showing weakness in the hopes of protecting a vulnerable flank. It was glaring, in that moment, just how _different_ he must have been _before_ he’d phased. Half wild and on the very edge of humanity itself, he’d grown up with very little positive interaction. Then with the addition of instincts beyond the natural, he’d become even more _other_.

And it couldn’t have been any _more_ obvious just how much he was _not_ a true part of the Quileute Wolf Pack.

They subtly gave way as he moved through them, and she would almost bet money that if asked, they wouldn’t even know they had done it. It was too instinctual, too _Wolf-like­._ Their eyes were wary when they rested on him, yet the humanity in them also held sway and they leaned into each other and whispered in his wake, as if somehow, with his back towards them, he was less likely to attack them once he’d passed them by.

And yet, despite that very humanity, a couple of them unconsciously bared their teeth in warning as he ventured closer, like canines attempting to warn away the much larger predator with a show of false power to cover their fear. Intimidated and all the more hostile for it.

 _Although their reaction might also have had a bit to do with the snarl that pulled at his perfectly gorgeous mouth._ His eyes were glowing like pale twin gaslights in the golden mask of his face, his wildness as far from the rest of the Pack as they were from humanity. 

For Sam, who was about to have a minor freak-out, what happened next bordered upon the surreal.

Paul was clearly in a bad mood, though how bad it was, was yet to be measured. Sam almost didn’t want to know, because for him to look like this, it couldn’t be anything but bad. His huge fame was coiled with an aggression that spelled trouble and Sam found himself mentally preparing for the worst, because the only time Sam had ever been truly afraid of anything since he had phased was of Paul on a bad day.

Dread was slowly working its way through his nervous system. As much as he couldn’t stand Jacob at the moment and wanted to keep the two of them apart, he might actually need him to help contain the situation. Currently, it would take nearly everyone present to control him if it all went to shit, and that was without taking precautions for protecting the humans in the room. Emily would be easy to manage, because she had a sixth sense about these things and he could already see her backing away, Kim in tow after she got a good look at the newcomer. Kim’s mouth was hanging open in shock, before common sense finally occurred to her and she followed the other woman from the room.

Sam was just about to give the order to try and take him down and hope for the best when the impossible happened. 

“Paul?”

Bella’s husky voice called out and Paul’s head snapped around at the sound of his own name. His eyes narrowed for a moment, head canted as if making sense of what he had heard. Then in the span of a few tense seconds, it was over. The tightness left him along with the vicious curl of his lips, his eyes no longer burning bright and unnatural.

Sam couldn’t have moved just then to save his own life. Shock was nailing his ass to the spot as Paul slowly moved towards the girl who had called for him. Even stranger was the almost gentle shove of his shoulder against his cousin’s to move him out of his way. Jared complied with the unspoken request and moved backwards just as Bella reached up as if to hug the previously unstable Were. And Paul _did_ hug the girl, dropping into the chair under her legs effectively situatinghim _between_ those legs.

Sam struggled to get his nerves back under control after such a near miss. He refused to think about how easy she was with someone who most likely would have torn a ragged swathe through the Pack just seconds before.

And yet, there was no smashed furniture, no broken bodies. A few of them were still hair-trigger, lips curled back into frightened snarls. Leah was growling intermittently, instinctively and almost absurdly comical because it sounded more like the attempt a human might make, but her eyes were glowing bright amber as if trying to hold back the Phasing instinctive to fearful Wolves.

Apparently, Paul couldn’t have cared less about the possible threat at his back. She was a non-entity as far as he was concerned, all of his attention fixated on Bella.

Sam didn’t know whether to be relieved that he was distracted so easily or far more worried for the source of his fixation. He still didn’t trust the other man as far as he could throw him, which oddly enough wasn’t all that far. Paul was freakishly heavy, even for his own massive size. 

And Sam had yet another minor freak out.

Because there was his little sister sitting on _his_ table with a grown-ass man’s head in her lap. Paul had wrapped his arms around her hips and lower back and pulled her closer before nuzzling his face into her stomach like a freaking cat that had gotten into the nip. Even worse, she was perfectly at ease, smiling as she stroked her fingers through his hair and over his shoulders as if this were a normal, everyday occurrence.

_Thank god Jacob wasn’t there…the fit would have been epic_

Bella murmured something to her companion that caused him to laugh, shoulders shaking with it.

And just like that, the tension left the room.

For all but Sam. Because Sam didn’t know what to think. Glad as he was that no one had been hurt, the stress of the situation was making him a bit shaky, like the crash of an adrenaline-high. He closed his eyes and counted to twenty, trying to put a damper on all of his rioting emotions. Rage, fear, anxiety, exhaustion, panic and a multitude of other emotions were all chasing each other through his mind in slowly decreasing circles as he got himself under control.

Then, a familiar hand was rubbing soothingly along his neck and back. The familiar scent of his mate wove its way through his senses and Sam pulled her close before burying his face against her shoulder with a sigh. “You ok?” she whispered.

Sam nodded. “Yeah. I think we’re ok. Not sure what happened, but I think we’re good.”

She was quiet for a few moments as she took in the room.“Is Bella…?

“She had him back on his leash so fast, I thought my head would spin right off.”

Of course, this latest near disaster occurred right around the time that the Wolves had their shift change. Shay and Jacob had switched off with Jonah and Quill, the latter of which was oddly tight lipped and irritable looking as they walked in the back door. Not that anyone blamed the poor guy, because Jonah would drive a saint to drink. His mouth alone was begging for a few good layers of duct tape. But it was his mind that made you want to drop kick him into the nearest ditch. Filled with filth and unreasonable hate, Jonah’s mind was a boiling morass of dark, twisted thoughts and tangled emotions.  

Stomping across the kitchen, Quill slammed open the refrigerator door with a bang that made half the room jump and reached in for a beer.

Sam had started to make noises to stop him, after all he wasn’t really an advocate of pissed off teens drinking away their rage, but a black look from the young man in question put a stop to that. It was so startling from the clown-like Wolf that Sam decided to let it go. Jonah must have tap-danced along his very last nerve, and Quill was well-known for his easy-going nature. Then Quill was tossing back the beer all in one long go, caring little for politesse as he downed it in noisy, greedy gulps.

But the reason for his lack of decorum soon became apparent as his patrolling partner walked into the room behind him, an ugly sneer on his face.

Before Jonah had phased, Sam had thought that it was some unwritten rule somewhere that when a Wolf first turned, they became the epitome of their genes. Taller, stronger, and better looking than most, they were followed by females and quite a few males like bears after honey.

Jonah had inherited it all, and yet somehow he made it look ugly. His face was twisted with spitefulness, eyes narrowed in his darkly tanned face. The young wolf shouldered his way through the packed room with a lack of regard for his Pack-mates. His goal was apparently the cooling rack where the pies sat, but he was blocked by a wall of irritable twins. Both of them stood with arms crossed over their chests, side to side as they glared the little shit down. Emily had placed them on guard duty for the pies with the promise of first pick when they were sliced and they took that deal very seriously.

Sneering at both of them, he turned…and then stopped in his tracks.

Once more, dread began to sink its claws into Sam’s gut.

So far, he’d managed to keep the new Wolf away from his cousin, because if he could drive the cool-under-fire Jared to the brink of fratricide, he shuddered to think what would happen if he ran afoul of his much scarier relative.

Some days, Sam wanted to smack the Wolf Gods for creating such a dumb-assed Wolf. It shouldn’t have been possible that someone could be that stupid, that or Jared got all the brains between the two of them, because the smile that crossed the younger male’s face just then was nothing short of gleeful. “Well, looky here…if it isn’t my long lost cousin. Long time no see, cuz. Course that might be because you’ve been busy being the human’s little cuddle-Wolf.”

Macey leaned over and whispered in his brother’s ear. “I don’t know whether to laugh because no one should be that dumb and able to function or to go dig a hole to bury him in for when Paul’s done with him.”

Pierce shrugged and lifted a brow. “You actually think there will be enough left of him _to_ bury?”

Macey cocked his head. “Point.”

Sam glared at both of them to silence their misplaced levity. Both simply shrugged, unrepentant.

“What’s the matter? Too good to talk to me, now” Jonah continued. “Because I hear you had plenty of time for Jacob when he made you his little bitch a couple of weeks ago.”

_Jesus, this kid must have a death wish…_

“Or maybe you only have time for loose little whores who most likely fuck every guy in the Pack?”

“Shut the hell up!” Sam snarled. His teeth were bared, hands fisted at his sides as he fought to keep himself from lunging over the island at the kid who was mouthing off at his family. Unfortunately, he couldn’t bring himself to Alpha order the younger Wolf because the only thing that he was threatening anyone with was his big mouth.

Bella never said a word, but her eyes widened with shock at the unprovoked attack, stiffening with unease. Her hands fisted against Paul’s shoulders in an effort not to cringe back and show fear to the seemingly unstable young man.

She’d tried for weeks to make friends or at the very least get along with Jared’s brother, only to be rebuffed for every attempt. If she was lucky, it was simply that he ignored her outright. On others, he’d sneer at her and all of her efforts. But the worst days were the times he got into her face and called her all sorts of things. The least of which was when he accused her of whoring for the entire pack, Leah included. Asked her how loose her pussy had to be in order to handle that many guys and if she were following him around for that very reason. Asked her when his turn was, before shifting gears and saying he wouldn’t touch such a dirty white slut.

That had been the very first time anybody had known Quill to jump _anyone_ out of sheer temper. Too angry to even cuss him out, he’d dived on Jonah like a fat kid on a cupcake and had proceeded to pound the utter crap out him before Sam could pull Quill away from his target and send him to run it off.

What followed had been the first of many angry dressing downs that Jonah had received from a fuming and protective Alpha. Jacob had also yelled at him, but it did nothing more than cement the kid’s belief that everyone favored the little human bitch over their newest brother. Not that he was wrong, however, but he’d given them no reason to like him.

Sam actually _had_ had to Alpha ordered the twins to keep them away from Jonah because they’d gotten significantly more hostile about the boy. He was half afraid they would attempt to beat Jonah to death when Sam’s back was turned. And while Jonah was a foul little troll, he didn’t want to have to go to the Cameron’s with the boy’s corpse in tow.

_‘So sorry Mr. and Mrs. Cameron. He couldn’t keep his mouth shut.’_

_Yeah….right…that would go over **so** well…_

Then Jonah actually stepped closer.

“She tenses any further, I’m going to rip off your face, nail it to my wall, and use it for target practice.” The tone was pure pleasantry, conversational, and all the more chilling for it. His face hidden, there was no way to gage just how pissed off Paul might be actually be because he wasn’t telegraphing a damned thing. One hand lifted in a casually graceful gesture and a silver blade danced momentarily between those long, powerful fingers as if to give emphasis to his threat, before it flashed out of sight like freaking Houdini.

“Oh, please. I’m not afraid of you, you overgrown bastard. All talk and no follow through. You didn’t even say a word when Jacob had you on your knees.” Jonah moved closer still.

A low, disquieting laugh rumbled up the seated Were’s throat and despite the fact that Sam had never been the praying sort before, he now felt this near overwhelming urge to drop to his knees and pray to God that Paul wouldn’t snap his tether. The boy was still unable to see into the other Wolves heads, and as a result, was unable to see for himself the extent to which Paul craved the fight, the feel of his fists breaking another’s body into a ruined, bleeding mess of pain. There was a nearly never-ending line of men who had misjudged their opponent, much to their detriment, and fed his need. Never knowing that whatever skill they brought to the fight was soon appropriated for their opponent’s use.

It was like physical eidetic memory…with every fight he grew far more dangerous, gaining new skills and abilities. Elements of Krav Maga, touches of Savate and Sambo had made its way into increasingly more vicious brawls. If Paul saw a move in action, his body would remember the move and it became second nature.

Jonah was little more than a jock and a bully before his phasing. He was absolutely no match for the creature he was baiting. The one that had shown surprising patience so far, but there were limits.

_And then Jonah had stepped over them._

One step closer, and that mouth opened yet again. “Your little whore steal your balls? Or did she swallow-”

Paul’s arm lashed backwards so fast that even to Sam’s keen gaze it blurred, smashing his fist into his cousin’s open mouth with a brutal _crack_. The boy’s head whipped backwards on his neck like the jerking of a crash test dummy before he collapsed to his knees, both hands coming up to cover his broken nose and jaw. Blood gushed in rivers down his arms and spattered on the floor as Paul sat up, those eyes glowing bright and smoldering with rage like the pale blue of the hottest flame.

“You bassad! You bwogue my face!” Jonah lisped out from between cracked teeth and swollen lips. His face was a raw, red-smeared mess as he narrowed his eyes, looking around as if he expected someone to come to his rescue. But no one moved. No one would look him in the eye…

Paul seemingly _flowed_ back up onto his feet, rolling his shoulders and slowly cocking his head to crack his neck before stepping over his chair after his prey. It was like a train wreck just waiting to happen, as the boy lunged to his feet and pulled his own fist back to return the favor. Paul’s lips curled up into a disturbing smile, full of sharp white teeth and wicked intent as he leaned forward and wrapped a big hand around the boy’s neck, jerking him up off the ground and onto his toes.

Jonah clawed at his hand to free himself, finding himself becoming short of breath under that iron grip. Failing that, he drove his fist forward with all his strength. But Paul simply shoved him back and let his fist sail harmlessly by his face.

Jonah growled in frustration and tried again with the other hand, wanting nothing more than to pound that taunting, sick smirk off Paul’s face, caring little for his own misery as long as he could do _THAT.ONE.THING._ He was a Wolf from the same bloodline as this freak. He was younger and smaller so he should be faster. But another failed attempt later brought only frustration and unbridled rage. Then he struck, and his elation was matched only by his his own agony…

 _It was like trying to punch his way through concrete_. Paul didn’t so much as flinch back under the attack, that bloodthirsty smile never leaving his face as Jonah felt his fingers fracture under the power of his own blow.

“Ouch,” Paul purred, his tone taunting.

“Paul!” Sam barked, his voice echoing through the room, only to be ignored.

_But of course trouble always comes in threes…_

Seconds after Paul had left Bella behind to confront her attacker, Jared had scooted in behind him to remove Bella from the line of fire. His own mate was perfectly safe across the room and Bella was mere feet from the two combatants. He’d plucked her from the edge of the table, when he felt something he’d only experienced once before in his entire life. That burning, aching melding of two souls into one relieved whole. He’d wondered, for months now, at the strange sense of incompleteness he’d felt whenever Bella was around, or his driving need to take care of her much like he did with Kim.

He couldn’t imagine how Sam had functioned before he’d imprinted on her that night in her home, the hole where _something_ belonged gaping. Now, Bella had filled it with her kindness and her rediscovered zest for life. Her adoration of the Pack and her acceptance of all of their little quirks and eccentricities. And all of her ridiculous bravery.

But Bella had never seen Paul like this.

Oh, she knew he had it in him, had been told all about it and she wasn’t blind to the predator that existed at the core of his soul. But it was shocking in its new blatancy. She couldn’t move, not even to protect herself from the coming onslaught. She was absently thankful for Jared’s intervention, because as soon as he’d snatched her up, one of Jonah’s flailing legs had caught the lip of the table and sent it flying, though neither Bella nor her rescuer had noticed.

She was consumed felt that strange, soul-piercing pain that she had felt months ago when Sam had saved her from herself. She remembered living as if she were in a wakeful coma, barely going through the motions of life. The constant feelings of loss and sheer loneliness as it felt like her entire world lay dying around her. Grey, foggy, and cold, it had hurt to even think of moving.

Then she was unexpectedly yanked from her little hell-hole back into the land of the living. A part of her that she’d never even known was missing was suddenly returned to her, making her feel whole and warm…loved.

Now, a new connection had been forged with a previously unknown place in the very fabric of her being. It was a bit of a shock, but a welcome one amongst all the chaos unfolding around her. Jared, with his rarely-shaken calm and easy-going nature, was a good anchor to cling to as her closest friend unashamedly ditched his humanity by the wayside.

“There are so few people who even register on my give-a-shit meter,” Paul continued in that _oh-so-reasonable_ tone. “It’s a pity you had to pick one of them to attack.”

“ _Kiss my­_ -” Jonah began, only to trail off into a painful sounding gurgle as Paul abruptly tightened his grip and choked off his words. Paul gave him a reproachful click of his tongue. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t make that out,” the taller Were rumbled. “Would you care to try again?”

“That’s enough!” Sam tried again, this time with a touch of Alpha command. The boy’s face was rapidly purpling with a mixture of rage and a lack of oxygen.

Paul’s head whipped around, eyes narrowing on the older Wolf with a hunger that told Sam that his attempt had not gone over well. The smile widened as Paul squeezed that tiny bit further as if just to prove that he could, before letting up and allowing Jonah to breathe.

“Sam. No.” Jared’s voice rang out with a finality that drew everyone’s attention. “He hasn’t learned a damned thing since he phased. He has no respect for Pack, for command, bonds, or family. He disrespects everyone to their face and gives not one fuck for what they could do to him for it. This is not high school. This is not a game. He can barely pull his own weight and would be next to useless in a fight with a vampire because he _still_ refuses to accept his place in the world and so he can’t see into his Pack-brother’s minds.”

“I have tried over and over again to help him, but he spits on every attempt. Quill has tried, and you and I both know that he’s as distractible as a ten year old on a sugar-high. Embry gave it his best, but Jonah had to mouth off about _his_ family as well. I’m done. He needs to learn this lesson, no matter how much it will hurt. Paul can _have_ him.”

Sam stood there for what felt like an eternity of moments, weighing his options. But Jared was right. What it all came down to was who could force the little degenerate Wolf into line. Sam could beat him every day till he was blue in the face, but it would do him little good, because Jonah did not fear him. But Paul…Paul could teach him that valuable lesson. Could teach him the _value_ of fear. And while he wanted more than anything to go a different route… _hated_ the need for it, he could no longer argue against it. Because Jared was right.

Jonah would get them all killed.

Sam closed his eyes with resignation. “Nothing permanent.”

For a moment, stunned silence echoed through the room. No one could truly believe that Sam had agreed to let it happen, least of all Jonah, who had still been under the mistaken delusion that someone would rescue him. If not his brother, despite how much he loathed him, then the Alpha who was known for his sense of fair-play.

Jonah went wild, eyes glittering with betrayal. Kicking and clawing, he tried to free himself from his cousin’s grip, hoping desperately that _something_ would give. And all the while, he avoided those eyes that watched him like a cat with a lame bird in its sights. Didn’t like how helpless he suddenly felt and fought all the harder because of it.

But it was all to no avail.

Paul had him by the throat and was dragging the thrashing Wolf towards the door with an effortlessness that suddenly made Jonah a bit uneasy. Because the implacable strength in his cousin’s grip was unforgiving and _unbreakable_. He opened his mouth to scream for help, _anything_ that might save him from what seemed about to happen to him, but a warning squeeze cut off his air again and left him feeling lightheaded until the next moment when precious air was allowed back into his lungs and he inhaled desperately.

Then panic was blooming in hot pulses along his nervous system, churning in his stomach and for a moment he thought he might actually puke. That was when Jonah realized that things had gotten all too real.

This Wolf shit had seemed like some kind of cosmic joke until now. No school, even if it meant that he was tethered to the Rez. He wouldn’t have to work much, because the tribe provided a stipend for its protectors. So he had to run a bit, it was no big deal with his new supernatural stamina. He could run, untiring, for days. What work he _did_ do would be piss easy what with his super-strength. There were none of these supposed Vampires to fight, not that he believed they existed in the first place because hello, wouldn’t he have seen one?

But now? Now, he was finding himself in a position that he had never anticipated. He couldn’t swagger his way out of this and no one was going to save him. His cousin was going to hand him an Alpha-sanctioned beat-down because he’d opened his mouth and told the truth about that little slut he ran with. So what if she was the favorite little piece of both Alphas and most of his own male relatives, it didn’t make it right that she got preferential treatment.

_And then his world washed red with pain…_

Back in the kitchen, Bella watched as the rest of the male Wolves single-filed from the room, following the cousins into the tree line. She moved to follow them, some strange impulse that she couldn’t understand urging her along. It wasn’t the coming bloodshed that she wanted to witness. She suspected Sam would need all the support he could get after making the call that he had. But she was stopped by Leah with a hand on her shoulder, her face stern and yet her eyes somehow kind despite it. “You don’t want to see this.”

“But-” Bella began to protest.

“No.” Leah gently steered the younger girl back over to the island and urged her to sit down. “You’re closer to Paul than any of us. I don’t understand how you did it, but he’s actually attached to you. Deeply attached, and I have no doubt that if anything ever happened to you, then the bodies would hit the floor. But for now, you humanize him. I think…I _know_ that you may very well be the reason that he won’t kill that little piece of crap, at least not this time. So yeah…if this will affect how you view Paul? If this will affect your conscience in such a way as to pull you away from him, then no, you shouldn’t go.”

Leah reached out and awkwardly patted the distraught girl on the shoulder. “Besides. Jared was right. Jonah needs to learn that he’s not exempt from the rules just because he’s an ignorant jackass who can’t accept his place and Sam is not hard-nosed enough to make him fear him as he should have. If Paul can make things run more smoothly in the day to day, then I’m all for Jonah getting a few of his ribs broken.”

Bella wanted to refute Leah’s blunt statement, but from what she had seen and heard of the situation, she could very well have nailed it dead on. Jonah was an accident just waiting to happen, and if his behavior could be corrected now, then who was _she_ to interfere in Pack politics? She may not like the fact that Paul was the one perfectly equipped to beat the fear of God into the stubborn boy, but it was what it was.

Looking out the window as the last of the males disappeared into the distance, she could only hope that along with relinquishing him to do the very thing he seemed to be built for, that she didn’t lose the part of him that she had grown so close to. 


	16. Smack My Bitch Up - Prodigy

Jared wasn’t sure when it had started really; this thing that had grown up between he and Jonah. Like cancer.

He remembered when he was younger, how excited he’d been when his parents had sat him down and told him he was to have a brother. That excitement had outlasted a colicky baby and a whiney, selfish toddler. But it had died a painful death the day he’d finally realized that Jonah would never snap out of it like his mother had hoped. His father had given up hope long ago, though he did his best not to show it.

Now, watching as Paul swept Jonah’s legs out from under him yet again to leave him sprawled face down on the ground, he couldn’t help but wonder what had gone so wrong.

His entire family, both blood and extended, had done their best by the kid, all to no avail. He seemed bound and determined to insult and humiliate everyone he came across. He had very few friends to his name, even fewer worth the title.

Maybe the twins were a little more right than he had been comfortable with when they called his brother a boil on the backside of Wolf-kind.

_Sadly for Jonah, it appeared that their cousin just so happened to be the most effective lance at hand…_

He watched dispassionately as his brother crawled through the dirt on three limbs, the fourth cradling his re-broken jaw. Blood smeared across the boy’s face from a cut over his eye, a split lip and the previous blow to the face. His eyes were wide with the beginnings of panic, the whites showing as Paul leisurely strolled along after him. Jonah’s blood was smeared across the taller Were’s hands and spattered up his forearms from the casual, brutal blows that brought the smaller wolf crashing to the ground time and again.

Jonah was taking longer and longer to get to his feet now, the strength behind those blows beginning to take their toll on even the supernaturally enhanced endurance of their kind. Designed by necessity to be able to take a hit and keep on kicking, it was almost perversely impressive to watch one of them be worn down in such a way.

Then it was on again, as Jonah seemingly gained a second wind fueled by pure hatred; phasing and then plunging forward with snapping teeth and sharp claws. Paul simply grinned, all sharp-as-hell white teeth and sick amusement, before sending the boy cartwheeling through the air with a vicious backhanded blow to the side of his head.

The younger Wolf lay in the dirt for what seemed endless moments, panting for the air that had been knocked out of him, and Jared thought it might finally be over. But then Jonah actually managed to stumble back up onto his paws, dazed, shaking his head as if to clear it before baring his teeth once more in challenge. Paul actually laughed at the gesture, a deep, rich sound of pure delight before beckoning him forward, daring him to try again. “Was wondering how long it would take you to Phase, boy. Can only break your face open so many times before watching it heal gets boring.”

It was as if he’d thrown the gauntlet. Jonah snarled and began lunging wildly, snapping at anything he could reach. But he was losing momentum. Every attempt was beaten down with a cheerfulness that was a bit chilling to witness, as if this was all simply a new kind of game for their cousin. A vicious game of ‘Pop goes the Weasel’, with Jonah getting popped every time he dared to get up.  

Until he finally, at long last, didn’t. There seemed to be nothing left in the young Wolf’s vast stores of energy. Finally, a measurable end to what had appeared an inexhaustible fount of fortitude as the pack watched the boy sprawl in a graceless heap at the feet of his opponent, his sides heaving with every desperate intake of air as his limbs twitched feebly.

Paul stood over him, his face slowly going impassive as the fight seemed to leave Jonah. Watched as the boy seemed to collapse in on himself. Head canting to the side, Paul finally snorted. “Pity,” he muttered, before turning his back.

The rest of the Pack stood in silence, as if unable to decide what to do next. Jonah would need medical attention, despite his supernatural healing ability, because broken bones would still need to be re-broken and then set if they happened to have knit wrong. Flesh and muscle could bruise bone-deep and need the attention of their resident medic Sue. Blood might also need to be transfused if wounds were left open by their unnatural healing for too long a time. Physical therapy would likely become a must at this point. Psychological therapy couldn’t go amiss at this point either.

Sam remained stone-faced where he stood, though Jared could see hints of remorse for his decision, the faint flinching in the eyes as Jonah was brought lower and lower.

Jared wished he could feel the same…his mother would be devastated by this evening’s outcome. So would Bella, because she could never stand to see someone in pain, especially because of her. He could finally understand just how horrible she felt over how she had been towards Jacob, even if he personally felt it had been warranted. This new imprint of his had yet to settle into the comfort of familiarity and so he was still on edge, hostile and protective of _both_ of his girls. And they _were_ his…his family, his mate and his sister. And he could only be thankful that Kim was thrilled by the new connection and not threatened. It could have turned into a very ugly situation otherwise.

He was confused by this newest connection, to be honest. This marked the third such familial imprint for the girl, and he had this gut-deep feeling that his would be far from the last. He had to wonder what was causing this newest development in their Pack, and a part of him feared the reason behind it. Would she need the added protection of her Wolf-brothers? Was that what this was all about? And if so, from what?

Then there was Paul. Paul who lacked a healthy moral compass. Paul, who seemed to have formed a singular attachment to a small, fragile human girl. He wanted to pity whomever dared attempt to harm her, because Paul was far more likely to rip apart their entire world with a smile on his freakishly handsome face.

But pity wouldn’t come. Nor would it come for his own brother, who had attacked the only thing Paul seemed to hold dear.

The tense, waiting silence in the clearing finally shattered as the Pack began to break away from the ring they had formed about the two combatants. The forest animals once more moved tentatively in the woods as the sounds of battle faded away, undisturbed by the silent footsteps of the Wolves as they slowly moved back towards the path that had brought them there.

And it should have been over. Would have been, but for the sudden flaring of hate in Jonah’s amber eyes, fueling an ugly desperation that impelled him to make one last ditch attempt to win as he lunged silently for the back of Paul’s neck with his jaws agape.

Before Jared could even _think_ to attempt a warning, Paul suddenly dropped as if cued by some sixth sense and reached back over his own shoulder, sinking what looked like honest-to-fuck razor-sharp _claws_ into the boy’s sides and ripping a canine shriek of agony from him as they sank deep. Then he whipped the huge wolven body into a wide arc and tossed it where it impacted the ground with a thunderous crash.   

Jonah did not move again, other than to twitch in what looked like pure anguish as blood sluggishly poured from the wounds in his flanks.  

Jared blinked as everything seemed to tilt crazily on its axis, because Paul looked as far from human as he ever had, in that moment. Crouched as he was on the balls of his feet, his eyes glowed in the growing dusk as he pinned the boy’s gaze with his own. Jared could have sworn for a moment that the shape of his face was subtly altered, as if something feline were living behind those inhuman eyes, honing the features into something predatory. His upper lip was curled up into a snarl, exposing curving white fangs as he slowly brought up a hand, fingers still clawed as he licked at a stream of blood running along his wrist. _Blood that wasn’t his own._

Fear finally climbed into his brother’s amber eyes as Paul smiled as if savoring the flavor, tongue flicking out for another taste and the message couldn’t have been clearer:

_You are prey, little Wolf._

In that instant, it became painfully apparent just how _Other_ Paul was. Something so far from human or even Wolf-kind. And Jared would be lying if he said he didn’t feel an answering pull in some heretofore unknown part of him. A part of him that was far from the Wolf and _even wilder_ …

Jonah folded in on himself, then a low whimper forced its reluctant way from his throat. He slowly, painfully made his way towards his cousin, belly in the dirt before he finally submitted himself before the Pack’s most lethal enforcer.

>}:{<

Jonah’s world was _Pain_.

It breathed and sang a vicious lullaby through his mind, beckoning him towards unconsciousness.

_But he didn’t dare follow its bidding._

“I don’t usually give warnings,” came the low rumble of his cousin’s voice. Far more beastial than he was used to, it tripped down his spine in chills of almost unnatural terror. “But the girl you maligned would wish it.”

Jonah shuddered, eyes clenched tightly shut.

“Your mouth touches on her again in any way that brings her pain and I will rip out your tongue, toss it in a blender and feed it to you through a straw. And I will _continue_ doing so until your body stops healing its loss.”

Jonah believed him. For the very first time, he was seeing exactly what the others saw when they looked at Paul. Huge and fierce and unencumbered by mortal limitations of any kind, making one feel small and helpless as a child in his presence. Power and savagery blended together behind a deceptively handsome face. Only the eyes were the key to his true nature as they glowed like cold fire in the growing shadows. Hunger seemed to bleed out from him in waves, as if something in Paul were starving for more.  

Fear washed over Jonah yet again.

_And Jonah hated being afraid. He hated feeling broken as he lay submissively, as if it weren’t quite enough somehow. Hated the helplessness he felt, because he didn’t have anything left with which to defend himself were Paul to decide he wasn’t **quite** finished yet._

_He never should have tried to go for his neck…_

But what he hated _most of all_ was his fear of his own worthlessness.

It’s why he didn’t get along with Jared.

Jared had been seemingly _born_ perfect. He could do no wrong in his parent’s eyes and made friends like collecting beads on a string. Jonah had to work twice as hard for his grades. He had been tempted by anabolic steroids just to keep his position on the football team, even though his current physique made a joke of the idea.

The Wolf gods had given Jared a girl that was perfect for him, and if that wasn’t unfair enough, he’d now been replaced in his brother’s life by a clumsy, paleface girl in the form of one Bella Swan.

Bella, who didn’t have to work for anything, either.

She was ridiculously smart. Could do no wrong by her father or anyone else for that matter. Billy, his own chief, loved the girl like one of his own people. Sam treated her just like one of the pack, something that Jonah had yet to earn despite having been born to _be_ one of the overgrown furry freaks.

He couldn’t even see into the Pack-mind, yet another thing that seemed to have failed him.

So he’d refused to bend when shown the supposed error of his ways. Wouldn’t bend to accept the friendship he’d been offered by nearly everyone in the Pack. _Couldn’t_ bend to Sam’s authority because he was the first to invite _that girl_ into a place that he should never have. Bella wasn’t even Native; how was it fair that she got rights and privileges that he had yet to earn?

She even had her very own protectors in a number of the wolves, including one that had just torn a bloody swathe through his guts with what felt like razorblades.

He had no idea what had possibly possessed him to continue with the fight even after it became apparent he couldn’t win. It was stupid, and not just on a normal scale. This was the grand, mammoth scale of things where, without the limits placed on Paul by the very Alpha he couldn’t bring himself to accept, he now believed with every ounce of his coward’s heart that Paul might have killed him without remorse.

He dared to meet his cousin’s gaze and then wished to God that he hadn’t. It was cold and calculating, as if sizing up his next meal.

Jonah hurriedly turned away. _Stupid stupid stupid…_

The next few moments of silence were deafening as his heart beat painfully in his ears, waiting for the attack he might have earned with his unintended defiance. The sound was made even worse as fear drove his pulse faster and faster.

Then the oppressive weight of Paul’s gaze was suddenly gone. _Paul_ was gone.

Jonah breathed out a sigh, finally relaxing fully into the dirt.

Bones had begun to knit back together. Unfortunately, his foreleg would need to be re-broken, but the rest were in a good position to heal properly. The wicked punctures to his flanks had also closed, though he could feel a strange lethargy that was unnatural to him even with the relief he felt. An exhaustion that left him feeling limp limbed and sluggish.

“Blood loss,” Sam muttered, as if somehow he’d heard him even in his human state.

Jonah couldn’t bring himself to care. He felt numb, mind and body, as if he were a puppet whose strings had been cut. His head felt heavy as he tried to lift it, his limbs leaden as he struggled to pull himself up off the ground. His lungs seemed to be refusing to co-operate, and he had to expend a great deal more energy than he was used to just to catch his breath.

_Shouldn’t he be healing faster?_

Unease was beginning to grow in the Alpha’s dark eyes as he and Jared eased closer to the struggling Wolf. Pain was slowly easing into a dull throb throughout Jonah’s entire body from the numerous jackhammer-like blows he had taken. Each one had threatened to break him, sapping his endurance bit by bit until it was all he could do to crawl on his belly like the beaten thing that he was to end it.

He was unaware of when it was that his body phased back to human, as if unable to hold onto the form of a preternatural Wolf but it left him shivering in his naked skin in the middle of the woods.

“Jesus…” Sam’s was suddenly kneeling beside him, careful hands gently helping him to turn over.

Because instead of feeling better as his wounds knit, he was feeling _worse._ Something in his head was howling in outrage, something that sounded a great deal like the voice of the Wolf. It was practically frothing at the mouth in its absolute fury. 

“Jonah?”

Jonah coughed and spat out blood before he turned to face the Alpha’s worried gaze.

“Sam?” Jared’s voice came from just beyond his field of vision. The voice in his head was now practically seething at the sound, hissing and spitting poisonous thoughts that Jonah did not have the energy to truly contemplate just then. _“Hypocrite!”_ it hissed. _“He sounds so concerned now, but where was that concern when he practically slapped a gift bow on your ass and handed you over to Paul!”_

Sam’s hands came down to frame Jonah’s face and Jonah fought to keep eye contact as his own threatened to roll up into his head.

“He’s going into shock,” the older Wolf murmured, his voice sounding strangely tinny and far away. “I’m not terribly surprised by it, but he looks worse than I expected.”

 _“He doesn’t care either!”_ the voice continued. _“He’s not the true Alpha. He’s just a stand in cause the real Alpha is a little boy who got his nuts handed to him by a paleface bitch.”_

“Please shut up,” Jonah practically moaned. His head hurt enough without having the grating voice echoing around in it.

“I think it’s his Wolf,” Sam went on, his voice now even lower as if trying to respect Jonah’s desire for quiet. “Something’s wrong with it.”

 _“Liar!”_ the voice spat.

Jared finally moved into his field of vision and Jonah blinked at his brother. His face was twisted with what looked suspiciously like unease, and for a moment Jonah wanted to believe that his brother hadn’t meant for him to get this badly hurt. That he hadn’t really wanted him to get whatever lesson he was supposed to have learned beaten into his head and no more.

But years of rivalry and outright _jealousy_ prevented him from accepting the situation. Until something happened that no one could have foreseen…

Maybe it was due to the fact that he was so weak just then…he didn’t even have the energy to look away in self-preservation.

Something in his mind cracked open, ripping scream after scream from him that went on and on until his voice broke and choked off into a hoarse crying. He thrashed on the ground as he continued to howl, struggling wildly against whatever it was that was ripping apart his skull.

 ** _“JONAH! CALM DOWN BEFORE YOU DO MORE DAMAGE!”_** Sam bellowed, as if the command in his voice could somehow gain more impact with more volume. Hands scrambled to hold him down, stronger than he was, but it didn’t stop the torrent of memories that bombarded their way through his brain as he writhed desperately to escape them.

With no rhyme or reason, no order at all, images of him all through his life. Yet in them he was seeing _himself_ through other’s eyes, the images colored by their feelings and their hurt. Frustrations, dreams, happiness and disappointments, everything and anything that he had ever taken for granted and things that he had never guessed at. And it hurt. Hurt _him_ to see all the ways he had hurt others, hurt like iron nails being pounded through his brain.

The very worst one centered around his older brother. The days just before last summer had been the very last time his brother had reached out to him with love. He could remember the exact moment that the emotion had been extinguished in those dark eyes so like his own. It had been just a few months since Jared had brought Kim home for the very first time to meet the family…and all Jonah could see was another target for his jealousy.

Kim may not have been the most beautiful thing in the world, even if she was wonderfully cute in a pixy-like way, but she was to Jared. It had made her a convenient mark as her low self-esteem caused her to believe Jonah that Jared would eventually go elsewhere when he tired of her, because a part of her could still hardly believe that such a handsome young man could actually be in love with her.

It had taken Jared months to finally convince her that his brother was full of shit. Luckily she was also quite loyal, and when finally convinced she had never doubted him again. She had never questioned again.

But that look of betrayal…the sensation of utter loathing that he now felt in Jared was hurt the most. And it _did_ hurt. Made his ache to see all the ways he had hurt his own brother, because he was _feeling_ all the emotions his brother had once felt for _him_. The younger brother who never measured up. Not because of failings he had been born with, but failings he had developed out of spite and jealousy. The many small kindnesses that had been thrown by the wayside by someone unworthy of them…and he _was_ unworthy. Unworthy and ungrateful.

“ _NOOOOOOOO_ -” the voice abruptly cut off as it screamed in denial.

“Help…me…”And then Jonah new no more.

>}:{<

There were only so many distractions one could indulge in to take their mind off things, Bella grumped to herself as she stood under the hot spray of her shower.

Her room had withstood Hurricane Bella as she cleaned it to within an inch of its poor life. The kitchen had hosted the previous warzone as she sought to keep herself busy.

But all the while her mind spun.

How was Paul doing? Was he hurt? How far would Sam let this thing go? She’d never seen Paul fight. She was pretty sure he could handle himself under normal circumstances, but Jonah absolutely _hated_ his cousin and such an emotion could drive even the most cowardly to unimaginable acts. She prayed that she would get Paul back in once piece, both emotionally and physically. Would she lose the Paul she had come to care for? Because he’d been given free rein to put the younger Wolf into his place, he might be tempted by that very freedom to do something he might regret later.

 _Not that she’d ever seen remorse in him_.

It was something that honestly worried her, but what could she do? _He was who he was…_

Drawing had been no help, because she couldn’t get her mind to stop obsessing about the fight. Her art had come out either scattered and chaotic or gory in a way she didn’t want to contemplate, all humor stripped from it.

A quiet knock on the door caught her attention and she wondered just how long her dad had been standing out there while she was lost in her own musings. He had taken half of a night shift to help cover the young man whose wife had just given birth to an incredibly cute baby boy and was due to leave any second. “Yeah?” she called out, ready to wish him a good night until tomorrow when they got up to go down to the Rez.

“’s me.”

Bella stumbled in momentary fear as a male voice so very _not_ Charlie’s drifted through the bathroom door. Then she smacked herself in the forehead because _duh_ , who else would it be after she had just spent hours obsessing over him? Now that she wasn’t drowning in her own thoughts, she could _feel_ his presence at the door. Though…it was just a bit unnerving to know that he was just feet away from her as she stood naked under the spray. She shivered, not liking how vulnerable it made her feel, even if she was fairly certain that she could stand stripped to her skin in front of him and he wouldn’t even blink. It was the principle of the thing, after all. “Just….just give me five minutes to finish up?”

Paul rumbled an agreement before the feel of him disappeared from behind the locked door.

_Just…great…_

There were too many unresolved issues floating about inside her head and she knew that she would have to air at least a few of them if she were to get any rest tonight. She had never had a serious issue with him before, even if he _did_ occasionally unnerve the crap out of her. It was unintentional for the most part, though she suspected that he did like to make her jump from time to time just to prove he could. He was a predator, not ever to be mistaken for tame, and she would do well to never forget that.

But all the same…

Bella hastily rinsed the shampoo out of her hair, absently noting that it was growing a bit faster than was usual for her, but she wrote it off to healthier habits with a shrug. After all, her complexion had become healthier along with her nails becoming stronger lately. She’d ask Emily about it, later.

Hurriedly towel-drying her hair just enough that it didn’t drip, she threw her clothes on and, taking one last centering breath, grabbed up her hairbrush and passed through the open the door to go confront the Were in her room.

He was staring out the window as she carefully shut the door behind herself. The sun was just beginning to crest the mountains as it began to set for the night, the moon already attempting to light up the sky as it reflected against the clouds.

Bella twisted her hands together nervously around the brush as she watched him, nearly jumping out of her skin when he abruptly shifted and turned to face her.

His face was neutral but there was something just a bit remote around the eyes, and for a moment Bella found herself wanting to back away from him for the very first time. She wondered if she was seeing just a taste of what the others saw when they looked at him. Something wild and unreachable, never meant for the touch of human hands.

He must have seen something in her body language that cued him to her sudden wariness, because he slowly backed up until he was sitting on her windowsill, putting them closer to eye-level. “You’re upset,” he stated, no question in his tone.

Bella blinked. But gnawing through her own lip and twisting her clothing into knots wouldn’t help anything. Not even to comfort herself. “I’m worried.”

Those dark brows lowered, pale eyes glittering at her from the shadows, before he shifted, a mute gesture that encouraged her to continue.

“I guess…I’m worried about how I should be reacting to what I know happened today. I know that someone got hurt…probably a great deal. I feel like I should be more horrified then I actually am,” she admitted, her eyes downcast as if to hide from him just how upset about her own reactions she actually was. “But I also know that none of you are really human anymore. I can’t expect human morals from Wolves, nor should I.”

Bella drifted closer to him as she spoke, unconsciously taking comfort in him even now. It almost hurt to even admit to it. To think that she could ever condone what must have happened. She knew that she must be making it a great deal worse in her head than what had actually happened, but even still, it couldn’t have been butterflies and roses.

“I feel like I should be _more_ upset by what happened then I am. And that scares me. I feel like I’m changing. I hurt someone close to me, and part of me can’t believe I did it. I hurt him with words _and_ actions and that’s not like me. I wasn’t even slap-happy as a toddler. I don’t like violence. But I’m beginning to understand it and…I don’t know how to feel about it.”

Big hands carefully pulled her around and down into his lap before plucking the brush from her hand as she continued to voice her fears. She leaned into him as he slowly began pulling the bristles through her mop of curls, even now more comfortable with him than she suspected she should be. She felt as if she should be punishing herself somehow, no matter that she wasn’t the perpetrator in the fight. She was still somehow guilty of being less than moral because she wasn’t as disturbed by the thought that her best friend was capable of appalling violence as she should have been.

She should have been disgusted by him and his touch.

Instead, Paul was comfort and relief to her chaotic mind and something in her simply gave in and relaxed as he worked, her muscles uncoiling and going lax in response to the heat of his body and the gentle tug of the brush. One of her hands absently settled atop his thigh, fingers drawing abstract patterns as she felt her mind begin to drift away from all of the fear and self-recrimination.

Finally, the brush was tossed onto her bed just as she felt sleep begin to pull her under. She knew that she should move and at least get _on_ the bed, if not under the blankets, but she was almost too relaxed to move. She felt herself being lifted, her body shifting sideways over his lap, one arm easing up behind her back as he held her. She blinked up into icy pale eyes before smiling at him drowsily.

His gaze was searching as he returned her regard, as if looking for something in her own eyes. His lips turned up faintly at the corners when he’d apparently found what he was looking for. “We good?” he asked, voice low and rough in a way that gave her pleasant shivers.

Bella reached up and carefully eased a lock of gleaming black hair behind his ear before leaning up and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, burying her face against his warm throat. “Yeah. We’re good,” she murmured back.

_God help her…_


	17. Enter Sandman - Metallica

Bella folded the socks and tucked them into the bottom of the suitcase to help pad her mother's Christmas gift.

"Got everything packed for tomorrow?" Charlie asked from the corner where he sat in her rocking chair.

Bella consulted her list, pulling out another pair of jeans, a pair of shorts, and a hoody before checking everything off. "Looks like it."

Charlie leaned down and lifted her bag of toiletries from the floor with a small grin.

"Ugh! I would have forgotten that!" Bella exclaimed with a groan, tucking the zip-lock baggie into her clothes to hopefully keep it from exploding like a toothpaste and shampoo bomb midflight.

Charlie just chuckled. "Did your Wolves like their Christmas presents?"

Bella laughed. "The twins had their gifts open and were racing them as soon as they could find a screwdriver for the battery compartments."

Charlie had been with her when she'd gone shopping as she picked his brain for what worked for a group of immature man-children. She had sniggered to herself at the thought, because somehow she had likened them, in her head, to half-baked cookies. Pretty and golden on the outside and still half-finished on the inside. But thankfully, her dad still had an eye for what made good toys and had lead the charge down to the toy section. Remote control cars and video games, mp3 players and iTunes cards went into the cart. Then came gift cards to the local bakery. It was a slight of hand gift for Emily, leaving her with a bit more free time from the endless cooking she did for the pack. Even if only for a day or two.

Leah had been a bit harder, but Bella had scoured store after store and found a beautiful silver-backed brush, because while Leah kept her hair in a sleek bob, it was well cared for and still her crowning glory. A gift card to Bath and Body Works for each of the girls, oddly enough also Charlie's idea. A new wok for Emily. And a gift card to a nail salon for Kim, who had developed what amounted to a nail-polish fetish in recent months.

"Looking forward to two school-free weeks?"

Bella grunted. "They will punish us for it, somehow, when we get back. Somehow, someway, when we least expect it, they will spring their evil little traps."

Charlie snorted quietly at Bella's dramatics. "Paul on his way?"

"Yeah, should be here any minute. Speaking of which," she checked the time then went to the window and heaved it open, letting in a gust of chilly air. "He said to leave this open if we were still in here."

He lifted a brow, watching her as she continued to flit about the room. "And the stairs were out for some reason?"

"Well, it was either through the window, or have him pick the lock when we fail to hear him knocking?" Bella's grin was impish.

"You do remember that I'm Chief of Police, don't you? You telling me about yet another aspect of your friend's less than ethical skill set might not be the best thing in the world to do."

Bella scrunched her freckled nose as she folded another shirt and carefully stuffed it into her suitcase. "Okay. You may have a point."

And he did. Her father had been awfully obliging about Paul. Up to and including allowing him to start crashing over like he allowed Embry and previously Jacob. He had been hesitant, that first night after Jacob had attacked Paul, but after numerous pass-by's that he had later sheepishly admitted to and seeing nothing more incriminating than them occasionally sharing a pillow or Bella sleeping on his arm, he had relaxed and gone to bed for a highly abbreviated slumber.

After that, he had been a little more willing to accept that there was nothing more going on when he would come home to find them both on the sofa, even with Bella curled up in his lap as he watched a movie.

The very first time he had seen them that way, she'd been asleep tucked up against him like a small child. It had been a bit of a shock, because Charlie was well aware of just how volatile Paul could be. Had seen him in the midst of a brawl or ten where Paul came out looking frighteningly chipper after leaving a pile of broken bodies in his wake.

But Paul had never left as much as a bruise on his  _daughter's_  body or heart. So he'd stood back and put his trust into Bella's instincts. Watched as her faith in the Were stood her in good stead.

He'd never told Bella about it, but an understanding was reached between the two men that night.

Oh sure, his first instinct had been to raise hell because that was  _his_  little girl in the young man's lap, no matter how old she got. But she'd looked so comfortable and peaceful that he hadn't the heart. Paul had simply gazed at him with those cold, strangely feline eyes, seeming unconcerned and utterly unashamed to be caught holding a sleeping girl by said girl's father. Charlie'd opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure, in the end what he wanted to say.

_Don't touch my daughter?_

_I don't trust you not to break her heart when she finds out you aren't capable of giving her what even_ _**she** _ _doesn't realize she wants from you?_

But he had swallowed it back and looked more carefully. Because Paul may have been sitting quietly, but he was certain the Were damned well knew exactly who had come in the door and where they were. There was a protectiveness there that even Charlie could see as he had quietly turned on the lamp so as to keep from waking Bella.

"She been asleep long?" He was well aware that the girl had been sleeping poorly lately. She tossed for hours and then went to school on little to no rest. He wondered what was causing it, but when questioned she simply said that she didn't know. Whirling thoughts and emotions she had admitted to, but no outstanding worries.

"Almost three hours." Paul glanced down at Bella for a moment.

"Good," Charlie had replied decisively. "She needed it."

"Been a few weeks of this, now," Paul had actually offered up, much to Charlie's surprise. Paul wasn't the conversational type.

"She tell you what the problem is?"

Paul lifted a brow, but shook his head. "No. Don't even think  _she_  knows."

It was a bit of a disappointment that not even Paul could shed a light on the issue. He didn't really want to pry, but he wanted his girl safe, even from whatever beastie might be lurking in her closet if it happened to be the case. Even if it was the big bad wolf holding her in his arms that kept her safe. "She looks…peaceful."

And she had. One hand had been tucked up under her chin like she had done as a toddler when she had been restless and finally dropped off. Not that she'd ever been a fussy baby, but every kid had their moments.

Paul's lips had quirked up with a hint of amusement, as if he knew very well what Charlie had left unsaid.

"She sleeps better this way. Says it's the only time she gets to sleep without tossing for hours."

And there had been the answer to the question Charlie had not really wanted to ask. And yet, he had to appreciate the way the Were had manned up and simply told him the truth…that Bella and Paul were close enough to allow her such freedom with his person. The thought had rolled around in his head for endless moments, but in the end, he had to trust her. She had a good head on her shoulders these days, now that the Cullen's had skipped town. And if cuddling herself up to someone like Paul made her feel safe enough to sleep then he wasn't going to stand in the way. "Rules still apply."

Paul had lifted a brow in question.

"If you're gonna stay, then the door stays open." Charlie's voice had gone gruff. It hadn't been an easy decision to make, but it might also be the right one, to allow the young man to stay overnight for the foreseeable future if Bella benefitted from it.

Paul's head had cocked to the side, before he simply nodded and carefully got to his feet with Bella cradled in his arms. He was walking from the room when he'd stopped and turned to look at Charlie over his shoulder. "Rules apply," he'd replied.

Charlie was never given a reason to regret the choice he'd made and the next morning Bella had bounded down the stairs with a bounce in her step and no more dark circles under her eyes. Paul had long since left for a Patrol along the borders of La Push, but he'd apparently stayed long enough to get Bella through the hard part of her night.

Now, two weeks later, she was rested and back on top of her game at school. Embry had also stayed over from time to time, the boy as much a brother to her as Sam and now Jared.

A faint rustling sound from outside the window drew Charlie back out of his thoughts and he turned in just enough time to watch as Paul landed in a crouch on the outside window ledge before stepping down into the bedroom, still dressed in work clothes.

"Paul!" Bella grinned and hurried over to make room on her bed for him to toss his bag.

Charlie chuckled. "And that's my cue," he said before standing up and vacating the old rocking chair. He was just stepping from the room when Bella leapt up to wrap her arms around her friend's neck in enthusiastic welcome.

Charlie just shook his head. He'd never understand those two, but he supposed it wasn't for him to understand just as long as they got along as well as they did.

Back in the room, Bella was gently pulling Paul's gift from the back of her closet where she had hidden it after wrapping it. It had taken her forever to find and she was looking forward to his reaction when he saw it. She turned just in time to watch him pull a large box from the bag, somehow much larger than the bag's interior should had been able to accommodate. It was bordering on huge, even.

But, while she was incredibly curious as to what he'd gotten her…"Yours first?"

He just chuckled before placing her gift back on the bed, letting her have her way without argument.

Bella grinned and handed him the large, square package wrapped in shiny red paper. She had hunted for nearly a month for this, having talked to experts and collectors to find the very best. It was hard to wait for him to actually get it open, because she had wrapped it in so many layers to protect it.

He finally got it open and one brow lifted in what she was pretty sure might actually be shock. "You…how did you  _find_  this?"

Bella blushed and shuffled closer. "I looked it up, hunted through book stores and stalked e-bay for a while. It finally came up and I managed to snipe it."

 _It_ was a book on ancient Japanese sword-smithing. Rare and precious for its contents.

Paul had many secrets. Hidden for vastly varying reasons. One of his closest held secrets had been contained in the room guarded by the broadsword hanging from its door.

Paul's workroom.

If Paul had any sort of craft that he practiced besides beating the utter crap out of people with ever more terrifying skill and all things automotive, it was crafting blades. Some practical, some beautifully fantastical, and all purely gorgeous. It was a way he had discovered to release lower levels of stress through physical labor, something he had learned from his boss, Haven. The precise movements, neither too hard, nor too fast, were strangely therapeutic. And though smith-work would never replace a good brawl, he was in fact attempting to get a handle on his need for a fight.

But with the revelation of that secret had come another. What might have seemed like a magic trick, when he would pull a blade out of thin air, was in fact more magical than he would admit to anyone else…because it wasn't a trick. One moment there and the next minute gone, he had the ability to 'call' blades to his hands and put them back again. Almost like they had slipped through some dimensional rift at his mental urging. And even then, it could only be a blade of his own making.

He couldn't explain it any better, when pressed, other than that he had a vague awareness of every blade he had ever forged. They 'pinged' at the edges of his awareness, waiting to be called and used. It's why he so very rarely gave them away.

She hadn't really understood the explanation, but that might have something to do with her not having that particular ability to compare notes with. But if pressed, she would venture to guess that it wasn't even remotely a human ability.

It wasn't like with Vampires, where whatever ability they had as a human translated over into an enhanced version when they were Sired into their immortal existence. Like Jasper, who had had an uncanny charisma built upon his already formidable empathy. It had formed the basis for his Vampiric ability to both sense and manipulate the emotions in those around him. Alice's flashes of precognition had become scarily accurate and ever further reaching. As for Edward, his amazing ability to read people had become the obvious. No mind was safe from the intrusion of his own.

No mind, save for Bella's.

Now, looking back, she half wondered if part of her appeal to the immortal seventeen-year-old was the peace she brought him with the silence of her thoughts. That, and the chance to indulge in his little masochistic bent, because really? Falling in love with your singer?

But never, in all her time with the Cullens, had she heard mention of an ability like Paul's. To essentially warp the very fabric of space and pull things through at your whim? Yeah…not so much.

Bella shook herself clear of her mental meanderings as Paul slowly sat down on the foot of her bed and carefully flipped through the pages. "Incredible. Been looking for this book for months…" She could hear the smile in his voice, and just knowing that he was happy was enough to make her happy, too. Especially when he carefully placed the old book down on her bed, then stood up and pulled her in to embrace her.

She could never get enough of touching him, or so it felt sometimes.

She loved how warm he was and how he smelled like spice and clean male skin. Or the way he would lift her off her feet and she could feel the slow, steady thrum of his heartbeat against her chest. The way it simply felt comforting to be held by someone so much larger and stronger than herself. Or the brief, incredibly rare times she would feel him press his lips to the top of her head and she would feel herself blush with happiness because she knew just how special the gesture was when coming from him.

And if it ever made her wish for more, she buried it where the sun would never shine because his friendship was far too dear to her to ever risk losing it. Losing him.

Now, he held her tightly, check brushing hers as he nuzzled her playfully and she laughed as her legs swung free like a child's. She could feel his chest vibrate against her in matching laughter before he let her slide down his body till her feet met the floor again. Then he was gently shoving a huge gold box with a wide sparkly blue bow wrapping it into her arms and Bella grinned at the sight of it before seating herself on her bed to open it. She carefully pulled the trailing ends of the wide ribbon and then lifted the lid of the box once it was free of the bow wrapping it.

She gasped.

Black leather and shiny silvery detailing folded neatly into the box. Bella felt her eyes widening to comical proportions as she lifted it out of the box and a gorgeous motorcycle jacket came unfurled. The leather was softer than it looked while still being tough enough to keep its wearer protected from any possible accidents. She knew that true bikers wore them more for function than fashion if they were smart, but this one was a beautiful mix of both. She opened her mouth to demand where he'd gotten the beautiful thing, a part of her insisting that he must have spent a fortune. That was until she made the mistake of trying it on.

It fit her small frame perfectly, as if it had been tailored to her specifically.

She lifted her hands along the collar to check for a label but found none.

A part of her winced, because she had once heard that items of clothing without tags tended to be custom pieces.

As if sensing her hesitation he just smirked, blue eyes glowing in the shadows. "One of my co-workers owed me a few favors."

The frugal part of her that had felt it had had to manage her mother's spending habits as a child and young teen threatened to rain on her happiness because the only conclusion she could draw from that statement was… _it must have been handmade._

But it was beautiful and…maybe just this once? Besides…Paul never truly did anything he didn't  _want_  to do…

She knew she was just trying to convince herself that she could keep it. Even  _he_  knew she was fighting herself, and was refusing to help her, standing with his back braced against the wall and arms crossed as if already refusing to take back his generous gift long before she could even insist that he do so. His gorgeous mouth was curled up at the corners, pulling out faint dimples as he watched her debate with herself.

She knew, then, that she was going to lose the argument with herself. The jacket was too beautiful to give up and besides…her mirror loved it on her, too.

Bella snorted at herself. Paul lifted a brow in question, then chuckled as she repeated the thought out loud. "You're not wrong," he purred.

Bella blinked and struggled to keep herself from shivering in reaction. He rarely spoke in that tone of voice, and she was ridiculously grateful for it because it gave her hot chills everywhere including places that were strictly _not to be acknowledged._ It was low and rough and sounded purely like lust and sex given sound and texture.

 _And he didn't mean it._  Somehow, the fact that it was unconscious on his part made it so much worse. That, or made her even more grateful because if he ever  _did_  do it on purpose, she'd become a little puddle of Bella goo.

She hoped like hell that her response had at least looked normal, because it didn't  _feel_  normal at all. She felt shaky and jittery and much too warm all at once.

Most days, she managed to repress just what he did to her libido. A libido that had once considered Edward's hesitant, inhibited kisses to be sexy.  _What the hell had she been thinking?!_ Because Paul could wind a person up and spin them out with just his voice alone. Gender was no consideration because he turned male and female heads, alike, whenever he actually spoke. It was simply a matter of whether or not the person in question had a sense of self-preservation.

 _If_ _**Paul** _ _ever kissed her in any way other than strictly platonic, she'd melt like candlewax under a blowtorch, she was sure of it._

Paul's eye's narrowed on her for a moment, but thankfully, he seemed to miss just what was distracting her and Bella found herself swallowing a huge, panicky sigh of relief. That had been  _much_  too close…

Reluctantly, she let the jacket slide off her shoulders as she carefully folded it over the back of her rocking chair. "Can you stay?" she asked

"Yeah. Sam gave me the night off."

"That was nice of him," Bella returned as she turned to finish packing her carry-on bag.

"He knew we hadn't got to exchange gifts yet. Thought we might like to do it in person."

Bella grinned as she moved the bag onto the rocking chair seat to get it out of the way. "Remind me to thank him later."

"Can thank him tomorrow? He and few others are gonna drop by to see you off."

"I was hoping they would," Bella answered as she stared stuffing the last of her clothes into her suitcase. Paul started folding them and handing them to her to make things go faster. He didn't even falter when they got to the bottom of the pile and Bella's underthings were exposed. But she did. Turned bright red and all. Couldn't help herself.

Then he was moving away towards his drawer in her chest of drawers and pulling out a well-worn pair of jeans to sleep in.

She would never tell him, but she loved the feel of his long, denim clad legs against her own, especially when they got tangled up together in their sleep and those thickly muscled thighs slid up between hers, the soft cotton gently abrading her skin.

Oh god, she could  _never_  tell him that!

_Jesus, Bella, get a grip!_

Pinching herself hard in reprimand, she turned to lift her suitcase off the bed and onto the floor as he walked out into the hallway to go change in the bathroom. She could only be thankful he did, because she needed the time to get herself together before he came back.

She could hear the sounds of him brushing his teeth through the wall and hurriedly changed into her Cheshire Cat nightshirt before pulling out an extra blanket because the temperature was dropping pretty quickly. She was actually surprised. With the way the weather had been going, she had almost expected to trade one warm weather climate for another when she flew to Jacksonville.

But now….it was actually  _snowing,_ and the temperature had dropped significantly. She was lucky that Paul didn't mind extra blankets and radiated heat like some kind of walking space-heater or else she suspected she'd freeze. She was also lucky that he didn't mind a good cuddle.

It was something that still surprised her.

After the way he'd reacted after The Bathroom Incident where he had saved her at cost to himself because he didn't like to be touched by those he hadn't invited, she had assumed he was simply uncomfortable with contact. So it stood to reason that even if he didn't mind  _her_  touching him, he wouldn't be likely to be the physically affectionate type. But he was. Very much so. If she wasn't in his lap during any movie night, then he was in hers.

And wasn't that a shock the first time he had leaned back on her and used her boobs as a pillow? Her very first reaction had been simple stupefaction because no one had ever done such a thing with her before. Her second reaction was to register just how incredibly  _heavy_  he was. If he had just dropped back on her, she felt sure he would likely have  _crushed_  her. She'd blinked at Sam. He'd blinked at her. But deciding that Paul had really meant nothing by it other than to get comfortable, she'd shrugged and lifted both hands to gently scrape her nails through his hair and along his shoulders. That the big male had actually made a sound close to an animal purr had made her smile with delight because he was relaxed enough to vocalize like that in the company of others.

Sam had continued to blink.

The memory of the look on the Alpha's face  _still_  made her snicker.

She was pulled out of her memories when Paul walked back into the room and stuffed his work clothes into his pack. "Think you're gonna be able to sleep?"

It  _was_ early, yet, but Bella knew she had to at least try to get some sleep, because tomorrow would be a long-as-hell day what with the six and a half hour flight and the family traditions to uphold. She sighed, but got into bed and curled into him when he climbed in behind her. "I hope so. I'm not really a fan of spending my day in little tiny seats in a tin can with wings."

He chuckled quietly. "Not a fan of flying, I take it?"

"It's not so bad if I'm not by the window," she admitted.

"Be thankful you're not my size. Those seats are like kiddy-chairs."

Bella couldn't help but laugh at the idea, because imagining Paul sitting in one of those tiny wooden school chairs, balancing to try and keep from crushing it, was funny as hell.

He wrapped an arm under her waist and pulled her in closer as she settled down, tucking her into the curve of his body and Bella forced herself to relax. She'd never sleep while so keyed up.

She felt her hair being carefully pulled loose of its shot ponytail. Then his fingers were slowly dragging through her curls and Bella sighed as true relaxation set in. He had been right all those months ago when he claimed to be good with his hands she thought as she leaned back into his fingers, feeling relaxing tingles along her scalp as he gently tugged at her hair, pulling the remaining tension from her as he worked.

And before she knew it, she was sleepily murmuring good-night as she dropped off to sleep.

}:{

Bella grinned as a pack of Wolves made their way through the airport towards her as she waited with her dad and Paul. Heads turned towards the lively, handsome bunch as they strolled through the lobby and most couldn't help but smile. They were a cheerful, cheeky bunch and it wasn't long before she was surrounded in behemoth Wolf-boys.

"Bella!" Pierce crowed as his brother lifted her up and spun her around in a dramatic embrace. She couldn't help but laugh as Macey tipped her back and pretended to kiss her, much to Sam's disgust. Charlie chuckled quietly from the sidelines as Sam protested, then simply gave up and pulled her away from the advances of the other brother as Pierce apparently decided he didn't want to be left out.

Bella reached out and wrapped her arms around the pouting Wolf's neck and gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek before Sam got her clear of them.

She could hear Paul snort in amusement from her left as Sam finally passed her off to Jared as he began lecturing the two miscreants about 'molesting' his little sister in public. Neither of the twins looked to give two good craps about it, however, and smirked in her direction. Jared just grinned at the girl in his arms and hugged her tightly. "You looking forward to a semi-normal Christmas, without all the crazies?"

"Psh, those crazies are my family!"

"Don't tell  _them_ that!" Jared advised. "They'd be so disappointed that they don't have a chance to date you."

Bella blushed and swatted at him as Jared chuckled at the predictable response before hugging her again. "That one was from Kim. She wanted to be here, but she had family coming down to visit."

"Be sure to give her one back for me," Bella returned as she squeezed him as tightly as she could, happy to feel that deep connection through him that she felt with Sam and Embry. It was an almost indescribable thing, and she just knew she'd come to love him as deeply as she did her other two imprint-brothers.

Then she was pulled from Jared's arms and into Embry's as the quiet Wolf silently demanded his own share of her affection. She gave it, wrapping herself around him and holding him as tightly as she had Jared. "Gonna miss you," he murmured."

"I won't be gone long," Bella whispered back. "And I won't be staying," she added, as she somehow guessed his unspoken worry.

She didn't know why he was concerned about it. She  _loved_  her life here and wouldn't leave it behind for anything. A small family vacation was one thing, but to leave her Wolf-boys behind for good? Never! She felt him smile, before she was passed on to Quil, the antsy Werewolf actually fidgeting from foot to foot till it was his turn.

"Fuck, Bella, do you have to go? We're all going to fucking miss you!" Bella just hugged the mouthy Wolf, grinning as an older lady turned to scowl at him for his cursing in a public place.

A little girl ran up to the woman, her little mouth opening to ask her grandmother what 'fucking' meant. Quil scrunched his nose at the sound of that word coming out of a toddler's mouth. "Oops," he mouthed.

Bella snickered. "You knew that mouth was going to get you into trouble someday, Quil."

"I just figured it would be Gramps coming after me with a switch when it happened," he said cheerfully.

Bella laughed. She could totally see that happening.

Finally, Sam came back and lifted her off her feet as he hugged her. "Be careful out there," he muttered gruffly. "And remember, if you even  _think_  you see anyone sparkle, call us."

Victoria had been strangely absent for months. Her absence made even more odd by how insistent she had been to get at Bella for months before her disappearance into who knew where. It was why they felt fairly certain that she would be safe off by herself in Jacksonville with her maternal family.

"I promise," Bella returned, hiding a smile as she felt him press a quick kiss to the top of her head. He might like to pretend he was the big bad-ass Alpha on occasion, but her oldest brother was a big old softy at heart. Then he was turning back to sort out an argument that the twins had instigated and the others had joined into. The security guards looked a bit uncertain, but no one was acting aggressively, simply a bit louder than they were used to.

Then it was Charlie's turn to hug his daughter farewell. They may not have not have been the most physically demonstrative father/daughter pair in the past, but Bella seemed to have been making up for lost time in the past few months. She hugged him more, teased him more than she ever had. And he could only thank her friendships with the Wolves for it, because they were a highly tactile bunch, even the Wolf who so very rarely let people in.

He only had one nagging concern about her being so far from home. "Are you gonna be okay out there, by yourself?"

Bella blinked at him in confusion, and Charlie wished he could have simply dropped it. But he needed to know. "I just mean with your sleeping, and all. You haven't been sleeping well by yourself in weeks."

Bella shrugged fatalistically. She had honestly forgotten that she would be alone and the reminder was a bit daunting. "Hopefully. I haven't really thought about it much. I  _did_  remember to bring some melatonin to help me sleep, and I'm sure I can call someone to talk to every night."

She could see Paul watching her over her father's shoulder and knew he had heard every word.

"Well, you can also call me if you want to talk. You know that."

Bella hugged him again. "I know that, Daddy."

She rarely called him that, and so it was a rare treat for Charlie when she did so. He smiled at his daughter, even if she couldn't see it. Then he pulled back and urged her towards Paul.

The big Were slowly smiled and reached out to pull her in. The others were still arguing in the background as Paul wrapped his arms around the small of her back and lifted her off her feet to let her wrap her arms around his shoulders in return. She turned and buried her face against his neck, inhaling his scent and letting it sooth her slightly frazzled nerves.

She would never be truly comfortable with flying and to it the renewed stress of remembering that she would, indeed, be sleeping alone and it was something else to not look forward to. The reminder of Victoria was just a minor thing, not something she truly felt she had to worry about.

She felt his big hand smoothing down her back and held him closer.

"You can always call me. Haven will understand."

It had been an odd thing, but ever since Paul had brought her round to his work the first time, she had had a standing invitation to come back. She hadn't really felt the urge to go for the longest time, but eventually curiosity had driven her back. Because Haven was an intriguing enigma.

He was undeniably handsome and charismatic, even in those few moments she had been in his company that first time she had met the man. Magnetic in a way that was a bit more understated than Paul was. Paul later told her that Haven had been, himself, fascinated and intrigued by the girl that Paul had befriended and wished him to bring her by more often.

She had hesitantly accepted, because as fascinating as the other male was, he unnerved her. There was still that sense that there was too much power contained in a form never meant to hold it whenever she was in his presence. A sense she occasionally got from Paul whenever the two were in the same vicinity, like a metaphysical mirror image.

And as she had gotten to know him, she had found herself completely charmed by him. He was quick witted and quite possibly a genius, slow to anger, and quick to forgive. He also had a very quirky sense of humor that Bella found herself enjoying immensely. Not that she would ever feel completely comfortable around him until she figured out what he truly was (he was clearly not entirely human), but it no longer freaked her out when he would lift her hand for a kiss in greeting or farewell with all of his old world English charm.

For a moment, she actually wished she wasn't going to Jacksonville, because she suspected she would miss Paul most of all. And it was even harder when he finally put her back on her feet. She already felt the loss of him acutely, a strange cool shiver brushing across the parts of her that he hadn't touched.

She looked up to see if the door had opened to explain it, but strangely enough, it never had.

_How strange…_

She looked up to see that her father had been drawn into the argument, oddly enough, all of them now expounding upon their points of view and she couldn't help but grin at them, before a finger gently hooked under her chin and brought her back to Paul. He seemed to be weighing something in his head for the longest moment, and she felt his gaze almost like something tangible from behind his silver shades. His hand slid around to the back of her neck and gently squeezed the muscles there as if seeking to relax her, then he bent down from his great height and slowly pressed his lip to her cheek, so close to the corner of her own mouth that the felt the slightest brush of them along her own.

Shock held her immobile for an endless moment at the gesture, something closer to human than his  _usual_  gestures of animalistic affection and hugs. She was infinitely careful as she returned the caress, not wanting to drive him away with something too close to a  _real_  kiss than he would ever be comfortable with.

His hand slowly squeezed the back of her neck again and she felt herself relaxing like a kitten being scruffed. Which was apparently his intent, because he pulled back with a small smile. "Be safe," he murmured for her ears only.

She smiled back. "I will. I promise."

He nodded his head slowly, as if affirming that he'd heard her before turning back towards the others.

It was perfect timing, because somehow the twins had gotten each other into a headlock and Sam was waving a finger in the air as he threated to order  _both_  of them into time out when they got back to the rez. But she could see that even he was trying desperately to not smile. Charlie had it easier as he buried his grin in his mustache.

Bella bit her lip hard to smother the giggle as they broke and circled each other like wrestlers looking for a weak spot in the other's defense. But finally security had had enough of their antics and had begun to step forward when Paul waded into the group and grabbed the two by the backs of their shits like wayward puppies. His voice was far too low for Bella to hear as whatever he said apparently got the Wolves attention. Charlie pulled his badge and flashed it at the approaching security to let them know he was handling it while Sam herded his Pack out the door.

"Well, kid," he said as the men nodded and went back to wherever it was they had come from, "You have a good trip and say 'hi' to your mom and Phil for me."

"Will do. And...don't let them do anything stupid enough to get arrested while I'm gone?"

Charlie chuckled. "I'll try."

Then he was walking out the door after the Wolves.

Bella watched them go with a pensive expression. She had slept well, but she had had the strangest dreams the night before. One of the Wolves who hadn't made it…well she wasn't sure, but  _something_ had happened to him/her? She wasn't even sure of who it was, but it had felt like there were two personalities inside one Wolf, like the Angel and Devil that resided on a person's shoulders in cartoons. One personality was slowly suffocating the other, and she was pretty sure the personality that was doing the suffocating was the one no one wanted to win.

Ugh…she  _hated_ strange dreams. Especially when they were so vague that there was really fuck all she could do about it, even if there  _was_  anything to do.

Shrugging, she ambled her way over the check-in line.

The Cinnabon store called her name as she hit the concourse fifteen minutes later. Checking her time, she made her way over and bought a small bun to take with her on the plane, along with a bottle of water, because apparently, the flight she was on had taken to  _charging_ for drinks when they used to be complimentary. Pfft.

Finally, she was sitting in her seat with her headphones on and waiting to take off while refusing to bite her nails in nervousness and grateful that she had an aisle seat.

}:{

Walking through the unusually crowded terminal to the main concourse of the small airport, Bella found herself thankful for its smaller size. Oh, she’d flown a time or two by herself in the past, but it was always a bit stressful in the major international airports. Add in her dislike of flying in general and Charlie’s unfortunate reminder, and Bella was more than just a little bit anxious. But her desire to see her mother overrode her worry about her current sleep issues, and the flight was now over, so she hurried through the throngs of bodies in her path.

She’d been worried about the delay due to the inclement weather. Sitting on the runway with no way to call her mother and warn her of the change in schedule (they’d already requested that cellphones be shut off) she had been even more thankful for Paul’s gift as she didn’t really want to have to pay cash to  _rent_  a freaking blanket to curl up under.

_Stupid, greedy airlines…_

She scowled at the thought as she followed the crowd towards the luggage claim where she would meet up with her mother and stepfather.

It still felt a bit strange to think of Phil that way, because he was more like the cool uncle than any kind of parental figure. He was roughly ten years younger than her mother. She’d honestly not really expected  _Renée_ to actually marry the guy, but the two were clearly in love and meshed well together. Her mother being the happy, flighty type and Phil being an equally happy, if more quiet type.

She was just pulling her bag off the carousel when her mother’s voice called out over the voices of the multitude.

“Bella!”

Bella grinned and began lugging her bags in the direction of the voice, just as Phil came into sight, obligingly using his tall, athletic form to part bodies left and right with her mother in his wake as they made their way towards the petite brunette.

Her mother’s familiar warm laugh reached her, then she was being pulled forward into Renée’s arms and nearly off of her feet as her mother babbled greetings and rocked her back and forth. “I’ve missed you so much, baby! I’m so glad that you were able to come!”

A large, warm hand gently squeezed Bella’s shoulder, Phil’s version of effusive agreement with his wife and Bella turned her head to smile at the young man before holding her mother tighter. She’d missed Renée more than she’d realized, despite the ever-extending nature of her family back in Forks. There was no substituting a mother for a father, even if she wouldn’t give up her time with Charlie for anything.

She felt her bag being slid off her shoulder and let it go as Phil gathered her luggage. “I missed you too, mom,” Bella returned, hiding her face in Renée’s shoulder to hide the slight burning of her eyes as happy tears threatened.

Her mother must have heard the slight catch in her voice because she pressed a kiss to the top of her head and smoothed a hand over her curls and down her back. “This is new,” she stated as she let her hand begin another pass, gently dragging her fingers through the strands.

Bella gathered herself and leaned back. “It’s shorter than I had intended,” she admitted ruefully. “It’s starting to grow out.”

“I like it. It’s cute.”

“Cute,” Bella grumbled playfully. “Sam said the exact same thing.”

Renée chuckled before curling her arm into her daughter’s and steering her towards the exit doors. “Sam?”

“One of my friends in La Push. He’s kinda like the big brother for all of us.”

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of him,” Renée exclaimed. “The one who runs the construction company?”

It was Sam’s baby, and the perfect occupation for a super-strong Shape-shifter. He could pick and choose his own hours and it also provided jobs for a few of the other Wolves. No one questioned the speed of their work, and everything got done on time, no matter Patrol-schedules.

“That’s him,” Bella answered. “Sam Uley.”

Renée lowered her voice. “Is he the one who…?”

“Found me in the woods?” Bella watched as Phil swung her suitcase up into the back of the Suburban and placed her backpack next to it. “Yeah. Sam kind of took me in that night and has been there for me ever since then. I couldn’t ask for a better big brother.”

Bella knew she was skirting the line of what she could actually tell Renée about their relationship, but she refused to do Sam the discourtesy of belittling their connection.

“Remind me to thank him if I ever meet him,” Renée said with a sad smile. She’d heard all about Bella’s relationship with Edward and the girl’s subsequent depression. Nightmares, auto-starvation, and catatonia. And yet, somehow, Sam had pulled her daughter out of it by sheer force of will. She could never thank the young man enough.

“I thank him at least once a week,” Bella murmured to herself.

Renée glanced at her, but Bella just shook her head. “So. What’s this I hear about Phil getting tapped by the Major Leagues?!”

She was just grateful that her mom was such a chatterbox, because the topic of Edward and their disastrous break up was soon forgotten in the wake of all the latest gossip about the family. Bella’s Uncle Mark had apparently gotten his secretary in the family way and was now in the middle of an acrimonious divorce with his wife as a result.

Not that Bella could honestly blame the guy…Aunt Grace wasn’t aptly named. She was a bitter harpy of a woman whom her uncle had married after a faked pregnancy scare.

Bella couldn’t help but wish him well; after all she wouldn’t wish Grace on even Mike Newton.

Her grandparents, her grandmother in particular, were in the same boat. Grandma Isabell, whom Bella had been named for, _hated_  Grace with a fiery passion. But she was too much of a lady to allow it to show. Much.

She was looking forward to seeing the rest of the family over the next few weeks as they flew in to stay with Renée and Phil for the holiday. The couple had apparently purchased a sizable house with Phil’s signing bonus, and Bella was looking forward to helping decorate it for the season.

The time in the car thankfully passed quickly and before she knew it, she was being settled at the table while Phil lugged everything up the stairs to her room. Then pot roast was being placed in front of her.

>}:{<

“Oh, man, I am way too stuffed.” Bella leaned back in her chair and rubbed her full stomach with a happy groan.

“There’s more,” Phil offered, but she waved him off.

“Any more and I will explode. As it is, I’m going to be waddling up the stairs.” Bella turned to her mother. “Why is there no elevator in this place?”

Renée laughed. “It’s not _that_ big…”

“Pfft! It’s four stories and has more bathrooms than I can shake a stick at!”

Phil snorted quietly, shoulders shaking with laughter.

“Ok, it _might_  be that big,” Renée recanted.

Bella was thankful that her mother had been so easily distracted from the topic of her depression. It was still a painful subject for her, bringing up all sorts of feelings of inadequacy. It was hard to relegate that feeling in the face of such a cruel abandonment. But then the anger would come, because really, who the fuck leaves someone in the woods? Especially someone they have cared about in the past, even if they no longer did?

Bella mentally head-slapped herself. Now was not the time to think about it.

She forced a smile onto her face and reached to pick up her plate. But it was gone before she got there as Phil lifted it and his own to carry into the kitchen. “We’ve got it, squirt. You’re not on KP tonight.”

Bella’s smile became more genuine. “I get to make breakfast, then.”

Phil paused to consider. “Sounds fair,” he finally agreed.

“Why don’t you go get into your pajamas while we clean up,” Renée offered.

It was a thing they did. Everyone, even Phil, would get into their pajamas and they would put up the Christmas tree and decorate it, then watch movies until one of them was ready to pass out. It was usually Renée, as she was more of a morning person than the other two, but Bella was willing to bet that this time, it would be her. Traveling long distances tended to exhaust her more than most people.

And to be honest, a part of her was hoping it would be that easy.

Because the truth was she _was_ having trouble sleeping without someone else’s company. She was thankful for Paul and Embry and occasionally Sam and the rest of them when the Pack succumbed to puppy-piling on his living-room floor after a movie. She wasn’t looking forward to sleeping on her own after they left the t.v. room for the night.

She smiled fondly as she was proven correct. After the tree and long before The Nightmare Before Christmas had ended, her mother was passed out on the couch with her head in Phil’s lap, snoring faintly.

It wasn’t terribly late, but then Renée liked to be up with the sun most days.

And Bella found herself tossing in her bed long after the first signs of the new day peeked through her curtains. She hadn’t called Paul because she didn’t want to seem like a baby who couldn’t even pass one night alone. Now, she buried her head under her pillow with a sigh, before resorting to forcing herself to lie as still as possible. Every muscle was carefully relaxed and allowed to sink into the mattress.

She was rewarded with the first feelings of drowsiness. And instead of allowing herself to feel hopeful, she purposefully drove every thought from her mind in an attempt to not excite herself right back into wakefulness. Finally, she knew she was too deep into relaxation to worry and sighed in relief as she dropped off to sleep.

It was her alarm blaring at her no more than three hours later that pulled her kicking and screaming from la-la-land and Bella could have screamed back at it. As it was, she very nearly hurled it across the room. She was completely exhausted, but she already knew that going back to sleep wasn’t an option. The abrupt nature of her waking would have prevented it. And in any case, her mother would have been disappointed if she did, because there was still shopping to be done. It was a yearly tradition where the two women finished up their Christmas shopping and then started on Bella’s wardrobe for the next year.

Granted, Bella usually tried to opt out of buying too much, but Renée was insistent and tended to get her way more often than not.

In truth…Renée was almost as bad about it as Alice had been.

Bella actually had two complete closets worth and more in storage, but it did make Renée happy to do this with her, and after Alice, she was a bit more comfortable in playing dress up in the stores. She was just thankful that her mother respected her clothing style choices a bit better than the aforementioned pixy-Vamp had because Bella really wasn’t the designer clothes type.

She was almost surprised her mom hadn’t wandered in to shake her loose already, being after nine am. As she finally stretched and stood up to gather her shower things, she could see that it was a bright, sunny day. It didn’t seem right that it wouldn’t be a white Christmas, she thought as she made her was to the en suite bathroom.

This time, the cold water was deliberate as she hoped to shock herself completely into the land of the living. She even managed not to shriek at the chill-inducing temperature as it cascaded down her naked back and shoulders. She stood there shivering until the faint blurriness induced by sleep deprivation cleared up before flipping the dials and warming herself back up.

But there was not a damned thing she could do to disguise the dark circles under her eyes. She’d never been all that prone to wearing makeup as she’d been blessed with good genetics that gave her clear skin in the first place, negating the need for concealer.

Bella finally decided to visit the land of denial and just pretend they weren’t there.

The trip lasted all of the thirty minutes it took her to dry her hair and throw her clothes on before stumbling down three flights of stairs. Then The Denial Train abruptly booted her from her seat and continued on its merry way as her mother got a good look at her.

“Oh, baby,” Renée exclaimed, eyes widening as she took in her daughter’s face. “Didn’t you sleep?”

Bella bit her lip and thought about lying, but realized it was pointless. “Not as much as I usually do,” she hedged.

“Do you want to go back up and see if you can’t get a few more hours? The mall will keep.”

Bella yawned, but shook her head in the negative. “Nah. I won’t be able to sleep till tonight, anyway.”  _Probably not_   _even then, if she were honest…_

“If you’re sure…?”

Bella yawned again and waved her off. “I’ve just been having trouble sleeping lately. It comes and goes. I’ll be fine once I get some caffeine in me, then we can get to the spending,” she said with a smile that felt a little more fake than she’d like plastered across her face.

She’d be alright for a few days, and then with any luck exhaustion would simply take over and force her into slumber. She might sleep for an entire day, and it wouldn’t have been the first time. Because Jacob had slept next to her for  _weeks_ the first time, kindly letting her use him as a combination teddy bear, alarm clock, and nightmare warden, waking her up before her dreams could shake her up too badly.

She knew that eventually she would be moved to reopen lines of communication between them. How could she not? He had been her dearest friend for so very long. But she was still torn over the way he had allowed his jealousy free reign

She just hoped it would be enough or she was screwed.

Renée, for the first time since the tradition had started, was seriously tempted to forgo the shopping trip completely. Bella looked a bit pale despite her tan, making the dark circles even more pronounced. She remembered Charlie’s worries about Bella just after that Edward kid had dumped her, about Bella having nightmares, but Sam and his friends had apparently neatly handled that little issue with constant care and attention.

She hoped that if something else cropped up, that Bella would tell her and let her try to help figure it out. She knew she would never win the award for the most maternal of mothers, flighty and feather-brained as she knew herself to be, but she loved her girl to bits. And so it was on the tip of her tongue to simply insist that Bella go right back upstairs. But she refrained.

Because Bella was also stubborn.

If she said that she was good to go, then she would _make_  herself be up to it, even if only to keep her word.

So it was onward to Macy’s and Best Buy and any number of others until Bella was stumbling along behind her mother in exhaustion. But when asked, she insisted she was fine, giving Renée little other choice than to continue on as usual. Until finally dinner time rolled around, giving the woman an excuse to drive them home. Phil would be waiting for them after having promised to cook dinner that night. Renée had texted him earlier and warned him about Bella so it wouldn’t come as a shock when he saw the girl.

Sadly, Bella’s earlier fears also came to pass.

Come bed time, she again tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Calling Paul had helped some but she didn’t feel comfortable keeping him long as he was running the door that night. Finally giving up, she carefully made her way down the stairs into the kitchen, hoping to find some Sleepy-time tea to help put her to sleep. She’d already tried the melatonin.

Her teacup was already washed and she was starting to doodle in her sketchbook when Phil appeared in the doorway. He didn’t seem surprised to see her, simply smiled and went about making himself a ham sandwich out of the leftovers from earlier. She was putting the finishing touches on a frame of a cartoon when he gently placed a mug of was coco in front of her.

She looked up at him in question.

“Sometimes works for me when I can’t sleep.”

Bella grasped the mug in both hands and picked it up. “Can’t hurt,” she mumbled and chugged it down.

She saw Phil laughing quietly to himself at her enthusiasm as he cleaned up his mess, then gently patted her on the shoulder as he walked by to put his plate in the dishwasher. “Hope you get some sleep.”

“Thanks, Phil.”

He winked at her, then walked up the stairs and out of sight.

Phil was a good guy. Always had been. Quiet, considerate and loyal. Her mother couldn’t have done better if one didn’t count Charlie. Huh. It seemed that her mother  _did_ have a type. Bella smiled and went back to drawing.

>}:{<

Renée snuck into Bella’s room at eight thirty the next morning and carefully shut off the alarm on her daughter’s phone before it could go off.

After Phil had come back to their bedroom after his midnight snack, he had warned her that Bella looked to be having another bad night. Renée had been tempted to get up and go talk to her but then thought better of it. Her daughter wasn’t the type to like having a fuss made over her simply because she couldn’t sleep.

Now, looking down at the girl, she wished she had…the poor thing looked exhausted even in her sleep.

She needed to call Charlie.

Without thinking about the time, she crept out of Bella’s room and down into the kitchen for the phone. Punching in the numbers, she was a bit surprised that it got to the third ring before Charlie picked up. “H’llo?”

His voice sounded like he had just been dragged from sleep. She winced. Damnit, she was always doing that, not accounting for the time difference. But she plunged ahead anyway. “Charlie. It’s Renée.”

“Renée?” She heard shuffling sounds, then a small thunk as it sounded like he dropped the phone. “Wh time is’t? Wait.” She could almost feel him get himself together. “What’s wrong with Bella?”

“Do you know why she might be having so much trouble sleeping?”

“Damn…has she slept  _at all_?”

“So you know about this? Why did no one tell me?”

“It wasn’t a secret, Renée. And if Bella didn’t tell you, she probably hoped it wouldn’t be a problem. Has she slept at all,” he repeated himself.

“About seven hours out of the last two nights.”

Charlie sighed. “She’s not used to sleeping alone anymore.”

“What does _that_  mean?” Renée demanded.

“She got herself adopted by a group of kids who live down on the reservation. It started with an occasional overnight either here or over at one of their houses, but lately, she’s been unable to sleep at all without one of the boys-”

“Boys?! You’re letting her sleep over with boys, Charlie Swan?!” Renée exclaimed. “She’s just eighteen! I will not have my daughter going through what I did being a teen mother-“

“Damnit, Renée! Bella is not _us_! She’s not even having sex with any of them! And yes, I _do_  trust her to tell me if she was! They are far more likely to beat someone to a bloody pulp for even trying, because they are more like brothers to her than anything else!” Renée was silent as Charlie picked up steam, because she’d never heard him actually defend himself before. “The door is always open, and yes I  _do_  check. And if you want to know why, just take a _look_  at the girl! Does she look well rested to you?”

Renée was a bit more subdued when she finally answered. Because Charlie was right. She was used to thinking of herself as Bella’s sole caretaker and had temporarily forgotten that Charlie had been doing a good job of it for over a year now. And Charlie wasn’t likely to let some boy take advantage of Bella. He might be the quiet type, but he’d probably threaten to take them out into the woods and shoot them if they dared. “No. She looks like she could probably stand another twelve hours at least. And…I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions I shouldn’t have. Besides…she’s legally an adult.”

Charlie was quiet for a moment. Then, almost as a peace offering, “Might try letting her sleep in a bit in the mornings. I know you’re a morning person, but she’s better with at least six hours or so of sleep a night. Not perfect, but better than three or four.”

“Is there anything I can do to help her?” She really hoped there was something she _could_  do.

“Short of having one of the boys fly down? Not a thing, unfortunately. Even  _she_  doesn’t know what the problem is. Everyone has asked at some point or other but she’s as clueless as the rest of us.”

“Alright. And, really…I’m sorry I jumped down your throat about it. I shouldn’t have.”

Charlie sighed. “It’s ok. You’re just worried about her, and even I know it’s a bit unconventional. It’s just the way things happened.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later, then,” Renée said, ending the conversation.

“Later.” And he clicked off.

And she was all set to follow his advice, but Bella didn’t sleep any better that night….or the next. She called her friends every night like clockwork, but it just wasn’t enough. She did her best to keep up with the family as they began to roll in, never letting herself give in to the exhaustion she felt. And Renée hated it. She was starting to look pale and a bit haggard after four days of no more than three or four hours of sleep at a time. Warm coco was tried again, but it seemed to have no effect. Tea and even codeine from when Renée had had a nasty cold last year were tried, all to no avail. The tea went through her like water, and the codeine only made her groggy.

Finally, Renée had had enough. Before Phil went off to the gym, she flagged him down and had a short conversation with him about what to do. But he deferred to her, because while Phil cared a great deal about Bella, he was not her parent. He was only eight years older than her and he felt it would be wrong to weigh in on the topic.

Renée continued to roll it around in her head, but when Bella finally wandered in at ten o’clock in the morning, making a sad, pathetic attempt for a beeline for the coffee, Renée came to a decision.

“Bella?”

The girl’s pale face turned toward her and she smiled. “Morning.”

Renée smiled back. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Bella stumbled towards the table and sat down with a coffee cup clutched possessively in her small hands. “Sure, mom. What’s up?”

“You’re not sleeping well.”

Bella suppressed a groan. “I know. Nothing I do seems to be working. I even tried a hot shower before bed last night, but all it did was wake me up more.”

“Bella…I talked to Charlie a couple days ago, and he told me that you’ve been sleeping with a couple of the boys from the rez.”

Bella’s eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. Oh crap, did her mother think she’d been-?

“Wait.” Renée blurted out, wincing. “That came out wrong. I meant actually sleeping, not…the other thing. Anyway,” she pushed on, “he said that you’ve been unable to sleep except for when you’re with one of your friends.”

Bella put her head down on the table next to her coffee cup. “Yeah. I just wish I knew what was going on. I used to sleep just fine alone, but now if I don’t have one of them around, I can’t seem to get enough sleep.”

Renée nodded. “Well. Here’s the part I wanted to talk to you about. How would you feel about maybe having one of them fly out for the rest of the holiday? Phil and I have a whole load of air-miles saved up and thought you might use them to have one them come out.”

And just like that, Bella was suddenly upright again. “Wait. Go back. You’d be okay with that?!”

Renée sighed. “I honestly wasn’t at first, when Charlie told me. But I can see, now, why he’d allow it. Don’t take this personally, but sweetheart…you’re looking a bit rough lately.”

Bella chuckled tiredly. “Sorry. I tried to keep up with you but it just wasn’t in the cards.”

Renée smiled. “Well, why don’t you go make your call. I checked the schedules and there is a flight out in about 4 hours. That will give your young man just enough time to pack and get checked in.”

Bella hurried to her feet and then rushed over to hug her mother, planting a hurried kiss on her cheek. “You are the best of the awesome moms!”

Renée laughed, though inwardly she was tickled pink at Bella’s show of affection. She’d never been very demonstrative in the past, but now she was all about the hugs. She could now count on one finger the number of times that Bella had kissed her as a teenager, however. It made her feel…proud for some reason. That she’d been able to give her something she actually needed, instead of what she could simply provide, like a new pair of shoes or a makeover.

Bella stood at the phone and punched in the number to Sam’s house. But after three rings, she was beginning to think maybe she should have tried his cell phone, when the harried Alpha himself answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Sam!”

“Bella!” She could practically hear the man smiling. “What can I do for you this morning?”

“Well…that’s the thing. I kinda might need to borrow one of you guys for about a week.”

“Are you okay?” He was suddenly so serious that Bella realized he must have misunderstood the reason for her calling.

“Yeah. Everything is okay…I was just hoping maybe one of you guys would like a small vacation. I’m kind of having trouble sleeping. A lot of trouble, actually.”

“Ahh….that explains everything.” Sam chuckled.

Bella blinked. “Everything?”

“I’ve been feeling a bit off the last few days. So have Embry and Jared.”

Bella winced. “Oh, boy. I didn’t know it was that bad.”

“Listen, normally I would send either of them, they could both use a break but, well-“

“Spit it out, Sam.”

Sam sighed. “Paul’s been a bit…cantankerous…since you left.”  

Cantankerous? That didn’t sound good. “What happened? Is everyone okay?”

“Oh, everyone’s fine. Unfortunately, he was in the mood to be quiet last night and Leah decided to bitch at him. It didn’t end well.” Sam groaned. “I’d have never believed it unless I had seen it, but he tongue lashed a strip off her hide for it and left her running away in tears. She seems to be over it now, but she won’t go near him. Probably a good thing at this point.”

“Do you think he’s okay for a plane flight?” She’d had to be very careful about how she worded things so as not to give her mother any type of suspicion.

“Hold on. Here he is and you can ask him.”

There was a faint scuffling sound as the two males switched places, then Paul’s voice rumbled across the telephone line. “Bella?”

“It’s me. I was calling Sam to ask him a favor, so you have perfect timing.”

“Oh?”

“How would you feel about coming out to Jacksonville for a week? I’ve been having trouble sleeping again, and I’d just come home, myself, but I only get to see my mom once a year.”

A low laugh stroked over her senses, but she was honestly too tired to truly appreciate the effect as she usually did. “I’d say I have some paid time off I can take and when do you need me?”

Bella sighed in relief. “Oh, good. I was hoping you could come. There’s a flight out of Port Angeles in about four hours. Is that enough time, because there might be a flight out tomorrow?”

“No problem. Just gotta call Haven and let him know. And I can make the flight today, just gotta run home to pack.”

“Tell him thank you for letting me steal you?”

“Will do.” Then he was passing her back to Sam.

There was silence for a moment, then Sam put the receiver back to his ear. “I don’t know how the hell you get him to play nice with you, but you are a freaking godsend. He actually acts like a stable human being when you’re around.”

Bella didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, because while it was kinda funny that no one but little ole’ her could handle Paul, it was also kind of sad. He didn’t let others in. Didn’t  _want_  to let others in. She wondered how alone he must feel, in the midst of people who should have been like family.

_She could hardly bear to think about it._

“He just needs a good hug every now and then,” Bella said with false enthusiasm.

“Yeah, well, you’re the only one he allows to touch him.” Sam returned.

Bella bit her tongue, refusing to snap at her brother. She knew that her inhibitions might be lower than was usual and didn’t want to start a fight over something so trivial. “Anyway. Thank you so much for letting me borrow Paul. I promise to take good care of him,” she teased.

“Good…he needs to be fed and watered every four hours and walked twice a day,” he quipped back.

Bella snorted before winding down the conversation, promising that if anything went wrong she would call back.

>}:{<

It was nearly eleven o’clock at night, and Renée was holding her daughter up as they waited for Paul’s flight to disembark. The plane had actually landed early, but ever punctual Bella had made certain that they would arrive on time.

Bella had told her to look for a tall, dark haired guy with sunglasses. She had raised a brow, but Bella said he was sensitive about his eyes. Renée interpreted that to mean he  _had_  sensitive eyes and let it go.

Finally, Bella’s phone rang and she dug it out of her pocket. “Hey, Paul. Yeah, we’re waiting at the top of the escalator. Right!” Then she clicked it off. She turned towards Renée, excitement in every line of her body. “He’s almost here. He’s just about to jump on the escalator.”

Now, Renée had formed a mental picture of the young man, Paul, going by what she had heard of him and what she assumed. Tall with that half-finished, coltish look that young men had until their mid-twenties when they finally filled out completely. He was most likely handsome as most of the Quileute young men seemed to be.

So when Bella went peeling off into the crowd, she was absolutely stunned to watch her daughter fling herself into the arms of a full grown man. Tall had been an understatement, he absolutely  _towered_  over any and all the other passengers. Renée found herself gawking as Bella wrapped slim arms around his neck and hauled herself upwards until she could get her legs about him as well. The man took it in good humor and simply wrapped a pair of the most muscular arms she’d ever seen in real life about the girl to hug her right back. He chuckled at something Bella must have said, shoulders shaking. Handsome didn’t even _begin_  to give him enough credit as he smiled down at Bella, carrying her along with an ease that spoke of enormous strength.

Then they were standing before Renée and Paul was letting Bella slide down to the ground before extending a hand to shake her own, one arm still around her daughter as if unwilling to give her up now that he’d just gotten her back.

Renée, still a bit startled, carefully shook the hand in front of her, then watched as he turned all of his attention back to Bella as soon as introductions were out of the way. She followed behind them as Bella lead the way to the luggage carousel to pick up his duffle-bag. The two of them quietly chatted together as they waited, then when the bag came down the chute, he lifted it as if it were made of cotton fluff.

Then, finally Renée had to smile. Bella was stifling a yawn as they walked, Paul smiling down at her still as if in on some private joke between the two of them alone. They approached the car in the parking lot and Paul stowed his bags in the back before sliding into the backseat with unusual grace in a man so large, stretching out on the seat from one end to the other to give Bella just enough room to curl up in his lap.

And if Renée were at all inclined to protest their easy intimacy, it died a swift death as Bella yawned once more before finally falling asleep in the quiet darkness of the Suburban.

>}:{<

 


	18. Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt

It was the mouthwatering scents of waffles and freshly sizzling bacon that pulled her from sleep the next morning.

Normally, it was Renée who was the first up in the morning, the first one down the stairs and the one to start coffee (that scent was slowly meandering its way up along with breakfast) before sitting down to await the arrival of the others. But between the many random visits past her daughter's room to check on the two in the bed (part of her was still a little frazzled by the presence of the young man sleeping peacefully next to Bella) and the arrival of two of her brothers, their wives and a handful of nephews, she had slept in much later than whomever the considerate cook might happen to be.

She suspected that it might be Bella herself in the kitchen, and she was proven correct as she made her way down the stairs, tightening her bathrobe over her pajamas as she went.

The girl was cheerfully dancing along to the radio as she worked, her cousin Chris and his brother David keeping her company. The other three boys were already seated at the table, quietly making their way through the last batch.

Renée was surprised to see Bella looking so bright and cheerful so early in the morning after the zombie-like state of the past few days, but one look at her face showed that the dark circles were all but gone, the pasty look of the truly exhausted fading away with them. Renée smiled, thankful now for the timely arrival of the girl's friend the night before.

She had honestly been even  _more_  hesitant to let him into Bella's bed after setting eyes on him then she had been by just the _idea_  of him. He was by far the most exotically beautiful young man she had ever seen and she remembered how hard it was, at their age, to separate any possible physical attraction from friendship and keep from crossing lines. Though to be fair, it looked like Bella was doing an admirable job of it. That he was so physically welcoming of the girl was also cause for concern, because it had almost seemed as if he simply didn't care where the lines of normal platonic interactions lay and had just stepped right over them without a qualm.

That all the intensity of his focus never wavered from her daughter was also a cause for alarm in its own way. She imagined it must be a heady thing to have such a man focused on you like that. He was honestly a bit overwhelming to the senses; because he was clearly not the boy she had been expecting, no silly and impetuous child, nor  _had_  he been for a very long time.

Now, Renée would never claim to be mother of the year. She knew her own faults and regretted a great deal of them for what they had done to Bella's childhood. But she still had instincts, and they had buzzed a protest every time she had walked by and observed the way the two of them slept so comfortably intertwined with each other. It wasn't even the positioning that truly bothered her, because there were never hands in inappropriate places, no matter how many times she walked by or how randomly.

_Maybe she was just being an overprotective parent?_

But then there was Bella's face just after she'd caught sight of him. It had glowed with happiness under the physical signs of her exhaustion. Tired as she was, she had hurled herself at him as if he were some sort of safe harbor. And her seeming trust in him had served her well when he'd caught her up as easily as if she had been a child. And again, when he'd let her fall asleep in his lap in the rear of the vehicle.

The entire trip back to the house had been relatively quiet, because it became clear to Renée very early on that Paul wasn't much of a talker. He mostly just smiled at her in response through the rearview mirror, and she had let it go.

Finally stopping at the house, he had been infinitely gentle as he had carried Bella out of the backseat and towards the house. Renée had offered to carry his bag, and he'd let her, though it had taken both her hands and a great deal of barely suppressed grunting to do so. But she knew darn well that she couldn't have carried her daughter with such ease and hadn't wanted her woken just then for anything.

Now, she laughed as four of the boys disappeared from the room as soon as they were finished eating, trying to escape before Bella put them to work washing dishes. Thankfully, the oldest boy David was a bit more responsible and stayed long enough to wash his dishes along with his brother's and cousin's before following after the wayward males.

"You look much better," Renée commented as David turned the corner and out of sight.

Bella turned towards her with a grin. "I can't tell you how nice it feels to have gotten enough sleep."

"I can tell," Renée chuckled, then hugged her daughter back as Bella abandoned her self-appointed post to throw her arms about her mother.

"Thank you so much for letting him come," Bella murmured quietly. "I don't know how I would have gotten through another week."

Renée patted her hair and hugged her tighter, realizing that hugging her now felt more like hugging another woman than the teen girl she was maturing away from.

"Is Paul still sleeping?"

"He should be in the shower by now," Bella said as she moved back to the waffle press to flip the batch. The bacon was set onto another plate as she slowly placed more strips into the pan. She glanced up at her mom and smiled again, before starting a plate for her, waffles and bacon and fresh fruit by the side. And right then Renée could tell that something was bothering her. But before she could get her mouth open, Bella sighed and turned towards her.

"There  _is_  something I kinda need to tell you about him," Bella began hesitantly. She wasn't sure how to go about it, but it needed to happen, and preferably before something occurred to set him off.

That sounded a bit ominous, Renée thought to herself as Bella fidgeted a bit, apparently nervous. And what could she tell her that Renée didn't already know? That he could be dangerous? That much was readily apparent. There was an inherently predatory nature wound inexorably through the lazy sensuality that Renée had noticed straight away. Something that couldn't be turned off or ignored. It would be interesting to see just how he interacted with the family, because Renée had noticed the way other people tended to move away from him when they had been in the airport lobby the night previous.

Bella twisted her hands together in the hem of her pajama top, before taking what appeared to be a steadying breath. "Paul did not have a happy childhood. And because of many reasons that aren't my place to go into, he values his personal space."

While inwardly she was wincing at the ramifications that might occur due to the new information, outwardly Renée gave her a small, game smile. "Bella. Honey, if he doesn't like to be touched then I can respect that. It's fine that you don't tell me what happened. I think I respect you more for the fact that you aren't airing his dirty laundry."

But Bella wasn't done.

"He probably won't talk very much. He makes Dad seem verbose," she continued, "But. He's my best friend, and-"

"You love him. I get it, and its fine if he isn't a Chatty-Cathy."

Bella looked surprised for a moment as if the sentiment was new to her, eyebrows winging high, before nodding slowly. "Yes. I do love him. And I know he can take care of himself. But I want to help him do it."

Renée pulled her back in and kissed the top of her head. "Well, with you to protect him, I'm sure he'll be just fine."

"Everything ok?" Phil's voice came from behind them, startling the pair into whipping about. Renée laughed as Bella muttered a filthy word as she rubbed the knee that she had slammed into the cabinet on her way around. Bella didn't curse at all as a young girl and early teen. It was strangely delightful to hear it coming out of her mouth now, as if she finally felt comfortable enough to do so. It didn't stop her from blushing like an overripe tomato, however, as Phil snickered in amusement from where he stood behind the island.

And then Renée was practically biting off her own tongue as their last guest finally put in an appearance. He was almost eerily graceful as he moved more silently than someone his size had any right to down the stairs and into the short hallway leading to the kitchen.

_Jesus, he didn't even look real…_

More like someone's fantasy of a male as sunlight played over his blacker than sin hair and across his golden tan…as if it somehow just loved him better than anyone else. The dark red silk shirt he wore actually made him look a bit leaner than she knew him to be, but it was betrayed by the muscles rippling across his thighs under soft denim.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her husband's eyes round in shock as he went still. Oh, Renée had warned him very clearly that she had terribly misjudged their new guest when she had gotten into bed, but she guessed that one had to see the young man to appreciate just how terribly. Because Phil's eyes kept panning up and down as if he were trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

_Twenty year olds just didn't look like that._

Bella finally realized that the room had gone quiet and turned to look for the reason when she caught sight of Paul. She grinned. "Good morning!"

The young man skirted about the kitchen island and came to a stop just inches from the girl, hand coming up to tip her face upwards. He seemed to be studying her intently from behind those silver shades of his, brows drawn straight as he tilted her chin from side to side, before his lips tipped upwards. "Much better."

Bella scrunched her nose. "Yeah…it probably looked worse than it actually was."

 _"Little liar,"_  he hissed, his tone playful.

Bella just snorted in response before turning to start a plate for him. And Renée got her second shock as the girl continued to pile it higher and higher. She'd suspected that he could pack it away given his size and physique, after all it took a sizable amount to fuel someone's of  _Phil's_ size, let alone someone like Paul. But…just  _wow_ _…_

When Bella was finally satisfied with his portion, she handed it over, accepting the gentle kiss to the top of her head with a grin and then shoeing him away towards the table. He allowed her pushiness with an indulgent smile as he passed by Phil who still watched him with seeming amazement.

He turned to Renée after Paul was seated, lips quirking upwards into a smile, and she could just see the gears working in his head as he calculated the likelihood of ever convincing the now seated Paul of playing baseball with the team, even if only just  _once_ _._ Picking up his own plate, he made his way over to sit across from the new arrival, then reached across the table. "Phil," he introduced himself quietly.

Paul put down his fork and clasped his hand with a nod of acknowledgement, surprising and pleasing Bella with his attempt to be courteous. "Paul," he returned politely, before returning to his breakfast.

Phil could never have explained, later, the frisson that climbed up his arm from his hand where Paul had grasped it with carefully restrained power. It wasn't something he was used to from another man, because most times they would attempt to grip just hard enough to make the other aware of their own strength. That Paul felt the need to limit the strength of his grip was unusual…and just a touch unnerving if he were to tell the truth.

Then he shook the thought away. The man was huge. Of course he'd be uncommonly strong.

_And God, what he wouldn't give to see the guy play baseball…_

Renée cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to her. "Bella and I still have a couple more people to buy for, present wise. Anybody else interested?"

"Me, Aunt Renée!" came a shout from the stairs as all the boys came trooping back towards the food, followed by their parents.

"Bella, those smell fantastic!" Renée's brother Kevin exclaimed from the back of the group.

They had just turned the corner when the first boy came to an abrupt halt, causing a nine-'man' pileup in the doorway. "Whoa," he breathed.

"Matt! Out of the doorway, please. You're blocking the rest of us," his mother Penny called from the back, too short to see over the blockage in her path.

The boy slowly moved to the side to allow the rest of them to go through, his mouth hanging open in childish awe as Paul stood up to take his dish to the sink, gulping down a glass of orange juice as he went to hide the smirk that Bella was just sure had crossed his face. She left the waffle iron to her mother's hopefully-capable hands and made her way forward, Paul a step behind her as he watched the teens and younger children. Bella slowly pointed them out. "Paul, these are my cousins Matthew and his brothers Thomas and Michael. The other two are Christopher and David." The boys nodded, the youngest one still looking on in wonder. At seven years old, he could still get away with it when he whispered, "Wow…"

Paul turned towards him and smiled, somehow more gentle than usual as if hoping not to scare him. Bella reached back and grabbed his hand, silently thanking him for the effort. "My Aunt Anne and Uncle Andrew, and my other Uncle Kevin and Aunt Penelope."

"Penny," the woman insisted and Paul nodded, accepting her preference.

"Everyone," Bella said, concluding introductions, "This is my friend Paul, from Forks."

>}:{<

Not long after, everyone piled into the two SUVs as gifts were discussed (as long as they were not in the same car as the recipient!) and then stores were checked off as those most likely to have everything needed in one location. Finally, after many phone calls from one vehicle to the other, and many different opinions were bandied about, it was decided that the shopping mall would most likely be the best bet.

After parking the cars, passing out the cellphones to make sure every party had one, and making a plan for where to meet and when, the groups set out to finish out their Christmas shopping.

Bella sighed as the noisy groups of her family finally disappeared around the bend and leaned back into Paul. "Finally. I love them all, but they can be a bit much when locked into enclosed spaces."

Paul just chuckled. "The little one was pretty quiet."

"That's cause he thought you were Superman or something," Bella quipped as they started off down the walk way.

"Oh, is that it?" Paul laughed, then sobered. "Still. Kinda nice that he's not completely afraid of me."

"He's too in  _awe_  of you," Bella said with a sad smile. It was incredibly rare to ever hear Paul lament his intimidation factor, and sweet to know that he didn't want to scare her baby cousin. She'd never tell, but Matt was one of her favorites. The kid was smart and funny and simply a good egg.

His brothers and cousins, while not overtly afraid of him, hadn't really insisted on sitting in the same car as Paul either, which they would have done in the past with anyone else. They were a nosey, friendly bunch generally, so the fact that no one argued about seating arrangements had been a bit telling. She just hoped they got over it by the time Christmas was over, because she didn't want Paul to be as alienated by her family as he was by his Pack.

Renée was already a bit unnerved by him, and she knew that if Phil spent too much time with Paul, then he might begin to pick up on small things. He was much more observant than his wife.

"I need to get anything for your cousins?" Paul asked as they passed a toy store.

"Oh lord, no! Kind of you to ask, but so not necessary! They're gonna make out like bandits as it is. You've just met five of them. There's another seven on their way." She laughed at the look on his face as she pulled him into a Hot Topic and immediately went for the flip-face watches. A clerk made his way back to open the case for her and let her look them over. Sorting through them, she found one with a dragon on one side. "I wish I could get away with wearing one of these," she said with a quirk of her lips.

"Why not?" The young man asked, cheerfully showing her his own.

Bella laughed. "My brothers would either steal it before pouting when it didn't fit them, or accidentally drown the poor thing when they throw me into the lake back home. No, this one is for my cousin who is going through an all-things-must-be-dragons phase."

She flipped the face on it to show off said dragon before waving her hand at Paul to call him over. He nodded, then began to make his way through the crowded store towards his human Pack-mate, eyes seemingly intent on what was in her hands. "You found one?"

She handed it over. "Yeah! Isn't it fun," she asked with a wistful grin.

"Macey would have that off your wrist the second your back was turned," he answered dryly, seemingly aware of the bent of her thoughts as he carefully flipped the face back and forth.

Bella just huffed. "I know, but a girl can dream. Besides, this is for Clara who you will meet tomorrow. She's got this adorable dragon obsession going on right now in response to her parents trying to dress her in fairy-covered clothes. She's thirteen and going on precocious.

Paul just grinned, then handed the watch back to Bella to let her check out, moving through a crowd that had seemingly just realized there was a predator in their midst and carefully made way to let him pass. Bella snorted, amused and irritated all at once, but what could you do? Sit each of them down and attempt the Jedi Mind Trick…there  _is_  no Big Bad Wolf…

It was like the movie theater all over again, people actually looking up as he walked past them with wide eyes and gawping at him as he went. Males and females watched him with varying shades of want, though they all seemed more than fine with watching as opposed to pursuing, content to watch the half-tamed wild animal prowling off his leash through the throngs of humanity.

Bella finally lost her sense of humor when the girl behind the counter tripped over her own tongue trying to spit out the total cost of the watch. It was kinda funny when people did double-takes before stuttering a bit and then getting the job done, but it was another when they couldn't decide between batting their eyelashes with their tongues lolling out and trying to convince themselves not to run away.

And….if she were to be honest….she was a bit possessive of him. Yeah, he was her best friend and all there was between them was friendship but…

She refused to think on it.

Forcing the thought from her head, she smiled up at Paul, bag in hand as they walked across the breezeway into another wing of the mall. A corner of his mouth tipped up into a half smile as he reached out and wrapped an arm along her back and over her hip, pulling her in for a brief squeeze that completely displaced all thoughts of jealousy.

It wasn't long before they found themselves at Sports Authority to pick up a new golf club for Phil. It had been on order for weeks, Bella having called from long distance because she hadn't wanted to ship the thing with her luggage and risk him finding out about it. She was thankful that the clerks were far more professional here than Hot Topic's counter girl had been, and her order was produced in record time. She was looking through a display of golf balls when something caught her eye from a distant display.

A cheeky grin covered her face as she hurried forward, then quickly sorted through the rack to see if she could find her target.

Paul, who had been wandering through the racks of baseball bats, looked up as a bundle of fabric abruptly shot through the air towards him. He caught it, then unfolded it to display a red on black Under Armor tee-shirt. He snorted, grinning back at the girl who had thrown it at him.

"Matt would get such a kick out of that," Bella chuckled.

"Should we be encouraging him," Paul asked while slowly unbuttoning his shirt to try it on. Bella heard something heavy hit the ground behind them, and not even she could blame the poor sales girl who had dropped her stack of shoes on her way to help a customer. She just winked at the poor woman who blushed then scurried off with her boxes with a small, hurried grin.

Paul let his glasses slide down just far enough to glance at her through his lashes, a sly grin curling his lips as his hands drifted lower and lower along the buttons. Then it was Bella's turn to blush as he shrugged out of the red silk with all the finesse of a professional before tossing it in her face. She laughed then, relaxing as he pulled the tight shirt over his head where it stretched over his torso like body paint.

"Damn, dude…" The clerk that had been helping with Bella her order whistled. "How much do you bench?"

 _Small houses, if he can get a good grip on them,_  came Bella's hastily suppressed answer.

"Haven't really tried to hit my limit, yet", was Paul's more evasive response.

The college-aged kid was far too impressed to question it thankfully. He just grinned and then led them over to the checkout stand after Paul pulled the tag off the shirt he was wearing to hand over at the register and buttoned the red silk shirt over it. It was cool enough in the mall to get away with it, the ac just a bit too high for Bella herself without her hoody.

They were on the way out when Bella spied a CVS and hurried in to buy wrapping paper, tape, and ribbon to disguise her purchases with, before she stashed them in the car for when they meet up later.

She quickly wrapped the gifts in case they happened to cross paths with anyone else, then, finally done with her Christmas shopping for the year, they wandered down the walkways and poked into shops where Paul bought a nice set of steak-knives for  _Renée and Phil_ before they finally checking in to see where they should meet for a lunch break.

"Renée says there is a little pizza joint on the upper mezzanine and they make a mean slice. Interested?" Bella asked with her hand over the speaker.

"Let's do it, "he answered.

>}:{<

Later that evening after they'd all driven back to the house, Paul and Phil separated from the rest of the family and escaped into the kitchen to begin preparing supper for the masses while Bella and Renée went into the master-bedroom to begin wrapping the rest of Renée's gifts.

"You have fun today?" Renée asked with a small smile as Bella began to enthusiastically curl ribbon for homemade bows.

"Yes. Oh my god, you should have seen Paul in the puppy room at the pet shop! I thought those little things were going to adopt him as their master and crown him king!" Bella giggled.

Renée looked up. "Please tell me you got pictures!"

"I wish!" Bella responded. "One even climbed into his lap and went to sleep."

Brave little thing, Renée thought. Of course, animals were very different from humans, she supposed. What put off a human might attract an animal, and vice versa. She was still having a bit of a hard time being around him for some reason. She didn't understand how Bella could be so oblivious to the possible danger he represented, wore like a second skin. Or maybe she just hid it better?

But there seemed to be no fear in the girl when it came to Paul. She touched him with all the ease that she showed her own family, only to be welcomed by him. It was almost…disconcerting to watch them together. Because she could now see the way he would oh so subtly avoid contact with other people as he had moved amongst the crowd of her family. It wasn't done for aloofness, but more as if he simply disliked touch other than Bella's.

"Girl talk time?"

Bella cocked her head in question at the tentative tone in her mother's voice, still curling ribbon as she did so. "What's up?"

Renée bit her lip as she pondered on how to go about asking the question she really wanted to ask. It was something she had observed about him over the past couple of days, a continuous reaction to him amongst other people. "Do people generally treat him like they did at the mall?" she began hesitantly, startling Bella into looking up at her. "I get it that he's naturally just a bit intimidating, but people treat him like some kind of wild animal."

Something about it was bothering her now, because looking back, she could see that Paul had done nothing to be treated in such a fashion. Even her own usually irrepressible nephews seemed a little cowed by him. All but little Matthew, who seemed to have decided that he must be some kind of superhero and watched him with something close to hero-worship. Something that she had been surprised to see, because Matt could be a tiny bit shy. But the rest of them…? It didn't seem right, somehow.

Bella sighed. "It happens more than you could possibly imagine. It is so incredibly frustrating, and I imagine it can't feel very good. They treat him like he needs a choke-chain. He's only threatened one person in public that I know of, and that was completely warranted. He was defending me from some loser at the movie theater one day because the jerk wasn't taking a hint."

Renée's brows rose in concern. "Did he-?"

"Oh, no, just my space was invaded! And no one got hurt, not even close, but Paul's good with a threat in a pinch."

Renée imagined it wouldn't take much to back a good threat up, even with as little as the young man tended to speak. Rarely full sentences, but then who needed them when you were six foot ten and built like a brick shithouse? "Is it possible to maybe…I don't know…tone it down? Just a bit?"

"This  _is_  the toned down version," Bella replied sadly.

The older woman didn't know what to say to that. It seemed such a maddening situation, and for the first time since she had met Paul, she attempted to get beyond the unease she felt about him, both personally and concerning her daughter, and tried to look at him from Bella's standpoint; the point of view of his friend who cared a great deal about him. Renée's face fell a bit as she realized that she had been treating him a bit like a wild thing. It wasn't a comfortable conclusion to make of herself, and so she resolved to try and look beyond what his looks and bearing might suggest about him…and look at what he truly said and did.

Because he'd offered no threat to any of them. Had, in fact, offered his hand to those he hadn't before met and had no reason to trust simply because they were people Bella loved, despite his own discomfort with touch. Had kept a smile on his too handsome for words face when confronted with people whom even  _she_ could see were acting like sheep.

It pricked at her conscience a bit, leaving her with a resolve to treat him with the courtesy he should have had in the first place, instead of a mother's paranoia. Bella would grow up no matter that Renée might wish she'd stay a little girl forever, and if her passage into womanhood was ushered along by this man or another, it _would_  happen someday.

What was the use of fighting the inevitable?

>}:{<

In the kitchen, the two male escapees worked in quiet tandem as they set about preparing dinner for the rest of the ravening horde. Another branch of the family had appeared just as they were unpacking their purchases from the vehicles, providing another three mouths to feed and leaving Phil thankful that they had bought a ridiculously large dining table for the times his team came over for dinner.

He looked up at the other man, smiling as Paul sorted through the knives in the block, before testing the edge of his chosen blade with his thumb. Brows pulling lower, he turned towards his host. "Sharpener?" he asked.

Phil walked around the island and pulled the cooking utensil drawer further open and pulled out the sharpener before handing it over. He almost asked if the other man needed help with it, before Paul started to sharpen the blade in question with short, efficient strokes. Shrugging, the shorter man went back to the stove and continued to monitor the noodles he was cooking for the lasagna he was about to throw together.

The sauce was almost prepared, it just needed a few ingredients that Paul was currently about to chop up.

Phil watched him from the corner of his eye, still curious about his own reactions to the younger man.

Because it was peculiar. Something about him just screamed predator, all the while he did his best to act like a tame pussycat. His nature bled through even the best of intentions, despite the lack of hostility.

It was hard to say what Phil found stranger about him.

The fact that he looked like he could go all twelve rounds in a prize fight was just one of them, because he'd offered no antagonism to any of them. The sharp, blatant edge of sexuality was another, because it was harshly smothered under a simple friendship that Phil could scarcely understand. It was almost as in-your-face aggressive as the tingles of wariness that ran down one's spine with simple proximity.

The quick, muffled staccato of a knife against a chopping board drew him out of his musings, and he watched with surprise at the speed at which Paul cut the ingredients. There was a swift, dexterous quality to his movements that told of long practice, and Phil wondered where he could have acquired such expertise with a blade. He certainly was no culinary school student, but was more than happy to follow directions. Phil, a closet gourmand, could only appreciate his handiness in the kitchen as the younger man worked.

"In the pan?" Paul's low, husky baritone startled him for a moment, but he quickly moved back so Paul could scrape the freshly chopped ingredients into the waiting container.

"Where did you learn to use a knife like that?"

The question was simply conversational, and Paul nodded. "Back home, there's a club I bounce for. It caters, occasionally, and we all learn to make ourselves useful."

"I hear an 'or else', in there."

White teeth flashed in a wide smile, pulling dimples from the taller man's cheeks. "Or else we get dish duty."

Phil laughed. "Sounds like my coach after he throws a barbeque."

Paul snorted in amusement as he went back to his place and pulled the bags of vegetables closer to begin chopping them as well. The bowl soon filled up, everything chopped precisely with amazing accuracy as Paul glanced up at the ceiling from time to time as if hearing things that Phil couldn't.

And maybe he could. Because there was something about the other man that didn't  _quite_  match up for Phil. Something in the  _way_  he moved, as if he had far greater control over his body than anyone else Phil had ever seen, like a preternaturally gifted dancer. He smiled at conversations he couldn't feasibly have heard and reacted to Bella's occasional bouts of clumsiness with a swiftness that almost didn't seem possible.

Then Phil mentally head-smacked himself.

_Was he actually contemplating believing in the supernatural now?_

>}:{<

Once again, Bella found herself stuffed beyond comfort as she pushed her plate away. The lasagna had been warm and gooey with four different kinds of cheese, one of Bella's weaknesses. The sauce had been nice and spicy, with bits of sausage. And over all, Bella knew that she'd be begging Paul to carry her up the stairs if she didn't stop eating.

Speaking of Paul, she looked to her side and mutely asked him if he wanted the rest of her third slice, smiling when he switched their plates and dug in.

It always amazed her just how much the Wolves could eat, as if they were hiding a second stomach in a spacial rift somewhere and Paul was no different. He would generally eat whatever she put in front of him unless it was something she herself had been wanting, then he would insist that she eat her fill first.

The family continued to chat amongst themselves, Bella's cousin Ellie and her parents John and Stacey joining in as they finally relaxed from the long road trip from New Mexico. Though she did notice the girl staring at Paul from time to time when she thought no one was looking. Cow eyed, practically mooning after Paul from the moment she set eyes on him. At just barely sixteen years old, the girl was trouble waiting to happen and Bella felt a tinge of apprehension as the pretty young girl continued to stare at her beautiful Wolf.

Because Paul still reacted with hostility to outright flirtation. Oh, he tended to ignore it if he could, but the second they tried to enter his sphere, they became fair game to his hostility. Not that he ever purposefully hurt them physically, but it  _had_  happened in his disgust for their touch when they dared to try.

She just hoped Ellie would take the cues as they came, because she was the type to ignore advice and attempt to go her own way, especially if she thought she was going to get away with it. She was just a bit like a younger, less polished version of Lauren from school. The type to want to go after something  _especially_  if she thought someone else wanted it or it belonged to them first.

As if sensing her anxiety, Paul's hand slid down and squeezed the inside of her knee before he smiled at her. Bella smiled back, before taking a drink of her orange juice.

Maybe she was just buying trouble, because Paul seemed completely relaxed as he sat there, content to watch her family behave in its typically crazy way as they argued over who got the bigger piece of pie and which flavor. He didn't even look in Ellie's direction, as if completely unaware of the attention he was attracting.

And it wasn't just Ellie. Her cousin's glanced at him from time to time, as if confused by him. David had cornered her before dinner and tried to interrogate Bella about Paul, wanting to know all about him but seemingly incapable of talking to him on his own. She supposed that she should be thankful that they had passed the stage of outright fear and were easing into slightly intimidated curiosity. Matt still thought Paul must be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, no matter what anyone said, and when he'd gotten a glimpse of the shirt Paul had on under the silk one, his whole face had lit up.

Bella had managed to get a picture and it was so adorable.

Paul lifted her plate from where it was sitting and passed it off to the official KP crew for the night, before accepting her pie plate and setting it before her, bringing her attention back to present company.

Bella grabbed up her fork and took a bite. Screw it, Paul could just carry her, this pie was her favorite! She let out a low groan as the topping practically melted in her mouth and turned to Phil. "You have to make this again before I leave. It is a must."

"Actually," Phil said with a small smile, "I didn't make it. Paul did."

Bella turned wide eyes towards the Wolf, before scooping up another hearty bite. "You've been holding out on me," she mumbled around the dessert.

Paul just grinned. "Didn't know you liked that particular pie."

"Where'd you get the recipe?"

"Google."

"You didn't tell me he was so good with a knife, Bella," Phil commented. "Never seen anyone that fast."

Bella choked on the lemon meringue in her mouth, tears threatening as the lemon attempted to escape down the wrong pipe.  _Jesus_ , that was a bit too close to home, she thought as Paul rumbled a low laugh from beside her. Bella lifted a brow at the Wolf as a corner of his mouth kicked up in wicked, secretive amusement as if he knew exactly how close he'd come to letting this particular cat out of the bag. And when he winked at her, she knew for certain.

Part of her wanted to kick him under the table while another was purely in awe of his impudence. Sam would have killed him for it. Or at the very least looked incredibly disapproving.

Bella reached over and pinched the inside of his leg in exasperated reprimand. Paul didn't even bother to flinch, just grabbed her hand before flattening her palm against his thigh and curling his fingers through hers. And she wouldn't have minded so much except…her hand was just a little  _too_  high up on his inner thigh giving that part of her that grappled with self-control a run for its money.  _She would not grope him under the dinner table!_ But it seemed that she was the only one discomfited by it as he leaned forward to get his plate within range of Renée as she served second helpings. The muscle under her hand pulled tight as if to tempt her and she shivered at the sensation.

To divert herself, she turned towards Michael. "So, how was your birthday?"

The boy grinned and told her all about it. And it was the perfect distraction, because amongst tales of going to Busch Gardens for the big day and a recitation of the gifts he'd gotten. Paul wasn't doing anything, really, just holding her hand under the table and occasionally stroking his thumb along her wrist.

Nothing to get excited about.

But as she sat there listening to the younger teen, a thought slowly occurred to her. She'd known Paul for months, now. And in that time, not once had he mentioned when his birthday was.

Much later, after the meal was ended and she had managed to convince Paul to carry her up the stairs after all, much to her mother's amusement and her aunt's giggling, she lay in bed next to him and broached the subject that had been bugging her.

"When  _is_  your birthday, anyway?"

"What brought that up," he asked instead of answering, turning towards her with his brows drawn in bemusement.

She smiled sleepily. "I just wanted to know so I could start planning."

His gaze was even more confused, then. "Planning what?"

_Oh…God..._

How long must it have been since anyone had cared enough to bother with his birthday for him to have asked such a question?

Bella was used to making a big deal about every Wolf birthday that passed. Charlie and Billy as well. Favorite cakes were baked and gifts given and everyone made time to appear.

All but for Paul. God, no wonder he was so withdrawn from people if they excluded him from even normal human interaction. She rolled over and wrapped her arms about his waist, cheek against his ribs as if she could cuddle away all the times he'd been excluded or forgotten by people who should have done their best to include him. How many birthdays had he missed? How many Christmases had he been excluded from and would he had assumed she'd leave him out as well if she hadn't of made a point to ask for hints on what he might like?

"It's the twenty-fifth of March." His voice was quiet and still seemingly a bit lost as to the reason she needed to know.

"Okay. The twenty-fifth of March it is," she said with a small, sad smile as she squeezed him just a bit tighter.

>}:{<

 


	19. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me - U2

Renée hugged her mother as Phil returned from retrieving the bags from the Suburban, her father trailing along behind him.  

“I’m so glad you could make it!” Renée said as Isabell moved over to make room for her husband Henry to hug their girl.

Phil hauled the luggage into a ground-floor bedroom before stepping back out to hug his wife. He needed to refuel the tank, then make his way back to the airport to pick up the last sister, her husband, and their kids whose flight would be in soon. He also needed to pick up a couple of his teammates who were going to spend Christmas, with them because their own families were otherwise unavailable.

“Did Bella make it?” Isabell hadn’t seen her granddaughter in nearly two years and was anxious to see her.

“She did! She’s sleeping in a bit this morning, but should be down soon with her friend,” Renée answered, ushering the elder couple in the front door to seat them in the living room with the rest of the family.

“Gramma!” Isabell just _barely_ turned in time to catch her littlest granddaughter Chloe as the child pelted towards her with a happy cry.

“Ooff! You’re getting huge, Chloe-bear!” Isabell laughed as she pretended to be nearly knocked over by the little girl’s enthusiasm.

The three year old smiled a slightly gap-toothed grin and did her best to hug the life out of her grandmother. “Did you bring us lots of presents?”

“We did!” Henry answered for his wife as she lifted the girl onto her hip, carrying her as she went to greet the masses.

She was hugging them one at a time as her father leaned over to speak quietly. “Has Mark shown his face yet?”

“He’s on his way. The divorce is almost final and Grace decided that her pride was far more important to her than seeing her nieces and nephews, so she stayed in New York.” _Renée said with a frown_

“Good riddance! I could scarcely tolerate that woman. Isabell will be relieved, even if she doesn’t approve of the fact that the new baby will come before the divorce is final.”

“I just hope that he’ll be happy with the girlfriend when he wasn’t happy with Grace,” Renée said in a thoughtful tone.

Henry looked around the room at his sons, daughters, in-laws and grandchildren, watching as his wife smiled and bounced little Chloe up and down as the girl started to braid a long strand of while hair. “What room is Bella in? I want to go say hi.”

Renée hesitated. Then tried to bluff. “Her friend from Forks is sleeping in there with her.”

Henry shrugged. “I can meet her, then too.”

_Crap…_

Honestly, she knew there was only so long she could hide Paul’s gender. She also knew that while her old-fashioned parents definitely would not support the idea of a boy in Bella’s bed, and they might politely raise hell when they discovered that Paul wasn’t anything close to a boy, she couldn’t do them the disservice of lying to them either. She may as well bite the bullet and just fess up before it looked like she had been keeping things from her parents. And Paul was a necessity for Bella’s continued well-being it seemed. It was funny, but no matter how old she got, her parents still had the power to make her feel like a naughty child from time to time.

“It’s not a girl.”

Henry stopped, his hand on the banister. “Excuse me?” He couldn’t have heard correctly, because he’d thought Renée had just said-

“I said it’s not a girl sleeping in there with Bella.”

“Renée?” Her father looked a bit shocked. “You let her boyfriend sleep in there _with_ her?”

“He’s not exactly her boyfriend,” Renée began, only to wince at how that sounded. “They’re just friends.”

Her father still appeared to be unconvinced.

“Please don’t make a scene, Dad. Bella had a hard few days when she got here and since Paul arrived, she’s been able to sleep peacefully through the night. I don’t want that to change just because you don’t approve. I check on them throughout the night and they sleep with the door open. It’s only closed right now due to the nosiness of everyone wanting to look in on them.”

“Well, maybe they _should_ look in on them!” His sharp tone drew his wife’s attention and Renée forced herself not to cringe.

“Dad, I asked you not to make a scene. You’re going to involve everyone in a discussion that is none of their business. This was _my_ decision to make for Bella’s welfare.”

“What’s going on?” Isabell asked as she came closer.

“Grandpa’s pissed about Paul,” Gareth, Bella’s eldest cousin, answered.

“Language, young man. And who is Paul?”

“Bella’s friend,” Henry answered.

Isabell blinked. Then sighed as the implications occurred to her. “This is not the time or the place for this conversation, Henry. Please change the subject.”

Henry looked mutinous for a moment, but ultimately gave in. He would reserve judgment on this _Paul_ , however, until he could see how he interacted with his favorite granddaughter.

Isabell glanced at her daughter, a faintly disappointed glint in her eye, before making her way back to the silent, watchful crowd. “Who’s up for breakfast?” she said, injecting a note of false cheer into her voice in an attempt to provide a distraction.

A rapid consensus was reached as they all trooped into the kitchen, throwing out ideas as they went on what to make for breakfast. But in the end, the little one’s prevailed and French toast was served to all.

It was the smell of food that, in the end, dragged Bella from her hibernation and into the kitchen. She was followed not long after by Paul as he moved down the stairs in her wake, bringing a ringing silence to the room as he stepped up behind the girl and pulled her back with his hands folded just under her ribs, framing her in the power of his muscular body.  

“Good morning, Grandma. Grandpa.” And she smiled as if nothing were happening.

And maybe in her head it hadn’t. She looked comfortable and well rested as she stood leaning against what amounted to a giant. A fantastically handsome one, if Isabell were to be honest. She’d never seen anyone like him and _she’d_ been married to the most handsome man she’d ever met for the last forty-eight years. This male was far from the boy she had been expecting, his face stamped with a maturity that made him appear to be in his mid to late twenties, much to Isabell’s dismay.

She drew herself to her tallest and squared her shoulders, taking him in as she did so. Unusual hairstyle, though it suited him in its own way, tousled forward and off to the side. He had exquisite, Slavic bone structure from what she could make out due to the sunglasses, he wore and the truest golden skin tone she had ever seen. Beautiful was an applicable term for him, despite his gender.

_And _Renée thought this a suitable bed companion for a young girl?! A full grown man?__

Just how old _was_ he, anyway?

But even she could see the utter lack of sexual tension in the pair. It was one of the strangest things she had ever seen, because the young man had attraction in spades, as did her granddaughter, no matter what she might think of herself. She glanced at her husband out of the corner of her eye and was not surprised to see the man nearly shaking with temper. She just hoped he could hold it, because he was not as young as he used to be and there was a fine edge of cruelty in the quirk of the young man’s lips, as if he could sense the volcano about to erupt.

“This is the indoors, young man. Please remove the glasses,” she said as she would to one of her own grandchildren. She was still his elder, and glasses in the house were inappropriate.

But instead of hopping to and obeying, he simply looked at her. She could see Bella stiffen and she took note of the reaction. “He has very sensitive eyes, Grandma.”

_Well then._

She had wanted to look him in the eyes to get a better read on him than just his physical form, wanted to see if he would flinch away from eye contact or if he were the honest type to hold your gaze. But not even she felt right about demanding this young man hurt himself for her sense of propriety.

She stretched out her hand. “Paul, was it?”

He let go of Bella long enough to clasp her much smaller hand in his own and gave it a firm shake. Something that honestly surprised her, because most men, when shaking a woman’s hand, treated them as weak little things that had to be protected from the big, strong man’s strength and so gave feeble little handshakes. Or they tried to crush their hands as if to _prove_ that strength. Paul had hit a happy medium that both proved his strength while allowing her to display her own.

It had the effect of mellowing her a bit towards him. Oh not completely, not even close, but that may come in time, she decided, as he pulled away and politely turned towards her husband.

Henry turned faintly red with irritation, but manners prevented him from refusing to do the same and so held out a perfunctory hand, before attempting to squeeze the hand right off of the young man’s wrist. Paul’s cheek dimpled as if he were amused by the attempt, but he refrained from retaliating much to Isabell’s relief as confusion briefly flashed across Henry’s face. Apparently, he’d also been expecting reprisal for his attempt.

_They would be having words later about grown men acting like recalcitrant children._

“Well,” Isabell continued, belatedly and just a touch awkwardly, “Would either of you kids like breakfast?”

Bella smiled as if she knew exactly what her grandmother was trying to do, before leading her companion towards the head of the kitchen table and seating him.

Chris and David nodded to him, but didn’t move from their seats as they chatted back and forth. Bella walked back and lifted a huge stack of French toast, piling it on a single plate before starting another one of a more normal portion. Isabell’s eyes widened at the sight of the first plate and leaned over. “Can he actually eat all of that?” she whispered.

Bella noticed that the corners of Paul’s lips quirked at the question that he shouldn’t have been able to hear, but his face remained otherwise impassive. “Actually, he might even be able to eat more,” she whispered in reply before making her way back towards the table with both of the plates in hand.

That was when Ellie appeared. She saw the open seat next to Paul and hurried over towards it before Bella could sit down, claiming it with a superior little smirk on her face as Bella arrived.

Bella sighed, but placed Paul’s plate in front of him. “Thank you, Bella!” Ellie exclaimed and attempted to slip Bella’s plate from her hands to claim it as well.

David scowled, before picking up his own sitting and nudging Chris down a seat to make room for Bella beside Paul. “Get your own plate, Ellie,” he stated with clear disapproval lacing his tone.

Ellie glared at the young man, thwarted from a direction that she hadn’t anticipated. “She was still up. She could have gotten another one.”

“ _You_ can get another one,” Isabell stated clearly as she flipped the next batch of toast.

Ellie scowled back at her cousins and got back up to get her own plate. While her back was turned, Chris winked at Bella before hurriedly lifting his setting and taking the seat the other girl had just vacated. The two were both incredibly observant, and while they had no idea as to why Ellie had decided to attempt a hostile takeover of Bella’s relationship with Paul, they weren’t about to allow it.

They had had a talk late last night after everyone else had gone to bed and decided that while he might unnerve them, he hadn’t actually _done_ anything to anyone that they could see.

Besides, Bella was good people and they didn’t want her hurt, and they could see that her family _not_ accepting Paul might hurt her. It was understandable if they were as close as they looked to be. After all, if Aunt Renéehad allowed Paul to stay, he must not be as bad as he looked. _S_ o if one of them had to sit next to the big guy to block Ellie’s crap, then they were game.

Ellie turned back towards the table and her face fell for a moment, before she stomped over to the other side of the table to sit down.

Isabell leaned towards Renée. “What’s _her_ problem?”

Renée rolled her eyes. “Oh, she’s gone and gotten herself a crush on Paul. You know how she is when she sees something she wants.”

Isabell glanced at the young people at the table, before turning back to her daughter. “Do you think he knows?”

“I’m not sure if he’s actually noticed, yet.”

“That’s probably a good thing. He’s way too old for her. Too old for Bella, too, come to think of it,” Isabell said with a pointed glance.

“Mom,” Renée said, a touch of warning in her tone. “Not the place.” She paused for a moment, then continued. “Besides. He’s only twenty.”

The older woman blinked, then turned back to her grandchildren and their guest. It almost didn't seem possible, even though she knew Renée wouldn't lie about something so trivial. She was almost as bad a liar as her own daughter. The young man had the bearing and looks of a man years older. But even if he  _wasn't_ as old as he looked, he was still illegally old for Ellie’s interests.

_Not that she could really blame the girl for those interests. He was almost impossibly good looking._

But she didn’t like Ellie’s propensity for sneakiness, and she could only see things becoming difficult the longer it went on. The young man had a strange hands-off air to him for anyone but Bella it seemed, and she couldn’t see Ellie respecting that in her drive to get what she wanted. The girl had an unfortunate case of only-child-syndrome that her parents hadn’t managed to kick.

Ellie was, to put it simply…spoiled through and through.

Just then the front door flew open to the chatter of Phil’s teammates and the last of the grandchildren. The flight had arrived early and they now were just in time to eat with the late stragglers of the family, clattering about the kitchen table as Bella and Paul and her cousins got up to put their dishes in the sink.

And just like she’d feared, as Paul stepped towards the doorway, Ellie stepped closer to the mistletoe hung from the doorframe. Bella’s eyes widened in surprise and a touch of dismay. But as if he hadn’t seen the girl, Paul stepped back towards the fridge to refill his glass of milk, gulping it down.

Ellie stood there awkwardly as Paul walked over to the sink and handed his glass to Bella with a smile, waiting till she’d washed it before grabbing the older girl’s hand and leading her towards the doorway. Huffing, Ellie stomped off, thwarted for the time being.

And Isabell found herself smiling. Because it looked like the young man had no interest in anything not related to Bella.

>}:{<

That wasn’t her only attempt that day. Many times, she tried to corner Paul in one way or another.

There were the times she’d tried to climb into his lap after Bella had stood up for one reason or other, but he was always across the room the very second after Bella was on her own feet after Ellie’s first attempt, laughing with the older girl after she pointed out the window and saw a few of the younger children hanging like monkeys from the trees.

Ellie scowled every time she was thwarted, as if somehow Paul was the communal lap to be had for whomever got there first. She would even wait till Bella was seated and try to nudge her out of Paul’s lap by pulling her feet up on the sofa and attempting to get them into Paul’s lap where Bella was sitting. It never worked, because Paul would simply lift Bella up and sit on the floor with her. It looked as if he were simply making room for the younger girl to stretch out and so no one commented.

Then came the numerous attempts to get him under the mistletoe, as if she thought that simply by kissing him, she could win him over for her own.

She would shove Bella out of the way to be the one under the doorway with him. Paul wouldn’t be behind the little brunette, having left something behind, or he was called over for something by one of the boys, who seemed to have banded together against Ellie’s machinations.

Even the eldest, Gareth, was in on it. He was the first, in fact, to catch on to David and Chris’ antics around Ellie. A powwow was held that eventually included all of the boys old enough to understand the crap Ellie was attempting against Bella. There had always been jealousy on Ellie’s part between the two.

Bella, the older, had only ever felt mildly envious of Ellie’s tall, blonde beauty. But she was unable to see past it to the fact that Ellie was almost cookie cutter pretty, well dressed and perfectly made up, her hair long and bone straight. She was the complete antithesis of Bella, who was short and curvy with huge doe eyes and wild curls framing a heart shaped face and cupid’s-bow lips.

But the other problem was a young teammate of Phil’s who had appeared with the last group. A young, handsome man named Casey who seemed to have developed what amounted to lust at first sight for Bella as she had come back down the stairs.

Hair still wet and pulled back into pigtails, she was adorable in that way that some girls just were without effort. She was dressed in shorts and a tank top under a hoody huge enough that it could only have been Paul’s, draping down to her knees. But the significance of the size of the garment still seemed lost on the athlete as he set eyes on the girl and from there Gareth could practically _see_ steam coming out of his nose like a bull about to charge. Paul glanced at the redheaded pitcher from time to time, as if curious about him, but as he didn’t invade his space, he seemed to blow the smaller man off.

For Casey’s part, he wasn’t sure what to make of the friendship between the girl he found himself wanting and the man whom she seemed to unconsciously orbit. That there was nothing sexual was pretty clear. That it was a close relationship was unmistakable. Just _how_ close it was, was the mystery. And normally he wouldn’t try to get between a couple who might be building a deeper relationship, but there was just _something_ about the girl.

Sweet, friendly, and open, she was exactly the type of girl that attracted attention. She also had the kind of figure to make a guy want to bite his fist and hope to God he got a chance to take a bite out of her. And yet she seemed completely oblivious to the attention she got, acting as if she were just a Plain Jane.

Not that there was an underabundance of pretty girls in the family, but none were quite like Bella Swan.

Casey glanced up at Bella again when she brought him the last plate and set it in front of him with a smile. It wasn’t anywhere near as warm as the smiles she gave Paul, but the young man was certain he could change that if given enough time. His smile was flirtatious in return, but all it seemed to do was confuse the girl. She blinked, her smile becoming a bit guarded, before she turned back to her friend and followed him out of the room.

He could feel eyes resting on him and turned to see his teammates eyeing him speculatively. Phil’s eyes were colder than usual, but he said nothing, apparently willing to let Bella keep control of the situation.

Out in the living room, Bella shook away the faint sense of discomfort that had lingered from the intensity in the redhead’s gaze. Somehow, he had made her feel self-conscious and she didn’t like it. She didn’t have time for some new guy to get over whatever kind of strange crush he might decide to get on her.

It was…unfortunate, and certainly untimely, because she wasn’t going to be staying more than a week after Christmas and was entirely uninterested in a fling. She just wasn’t built for casual sex and she knew it. Never mind that he just didn’t really have anything that she wanted. It might not be fair of her, but having gotten used to a higher standard of male beauty in the form of her brothers and Pack, she was a tiny bit biased, now, about what she found attractive.

_Look at Bella Swan…hot ballplayers aren’t good enough for her!_

She felt a bit guilty for it. It wasn’t Casey’s fault he was human.

But she also couldn’t help the way she felt.

>}:{<

“ _WATER FIGHT!”_ Thomas yelled before hurling a huge purple water balloon at his target, his brother Michael spluttering indignantly as he caught it in the chest, the water splashing coolly up his neck and down over his legs.

“Oh, it’s on, Tommy-boy!” Michael growled playfully as the shock wore off and he reached into one of the enormous tubs the parents had brought out for his own ammunition. He sent it sailing, hitting his target in the back as Thomas attempted to run away, cackling the entire time.

It soon became a free for all. Parents and children alike going to the tubs and grabbing up their own water-bombs. A few of the younger children were put in charge of reload duty and they giggled wildly as they ran here and there, replenishing buckets and handing off balloons to their chosen combatants.

Paul chuckled when little Matthew tried to get him into the battle by placing a particularly large water balloon in his lap with a shy grin, before hurrying off to get his brothers resupplied. Bella had also tried to get him involved, but he had declined, saying it wouldn’t be sporting with his supernaturally-amped reflexes, strength and speed. He watched the battle’s progress from a sturdily built lounger, hands stacked behind his head as he reclined in the sunlight.

And he would have been content where he was if not for one…single…stray balloon. It sailed through the air, off course and erratic as it wobbled dangerously with its overfilled bulk. It seemed to hover over the huge man, as if reluctant to actually dare the effrontery to hit him. Everyone went still as the balloon finally succumbed to gravity and landed with a slapping thud on Paul’s chest, breaking open with a splash and soaking the white tee-shirt all the way through.

Half of them winced, expecting some sort of rage-filled fit as Paul slowly eased upright, the shirt stuck to his gorgeous skin as if it were painted on. He stood up, still grasping Matthew’s gift in hand as he glanced among them as if seeking the culprit.

The guilty look on Uncle Andrew’s face was undeniable.

Paul smirked. “Right, then,” he purred, before launching the balloon at seemingly supersonic speeds across the battlefield where it nailed the older man in the chest with a sharp slapping sound. The blonde staggered backwards at the force of the impact, his previously damp shirt now soaked as Matthew giggled wildly from the sidelines while watching his dad curse at the hit.

Paul lifted a brow at the imp, then held his hand down low for the little boy to smack, which he did with enthusiasm before handing him another balloon. Then he was hiding behind the Were to keep from getting soaked as the fight began again in earnest once the rest of the combatants were assured that the fun wouldn’t be ruined by a pissed off Paul.

Bella grinned as the Shifter indulged in a rare childish game, delighted to see him look so carefree.

Unfortunately, that was right around the time that Casey decided to remember that Paul was his supposed rival for Bella’s affection. He began to target him more often than not, especially when Paul decided to ignore him. It seemed to piss the redhead off, because by the end of the fight, Paul was drenched head to foot. Not that he seemed to mind as he shook himself like a wet dog in the grass. His soaked clothing clung to his body in the most eye-catching way imaginable, the white shirt practically transparent with moisture. His hair was raked back from his face in damp tendrils, gleaming darkly under the sun as he slowly reached over his shoulder and pulled the sodden fabric up his back and then over his head.

Bella blinked at the stunning sight, because fully clothed he was a sight to see…shirtless and glistening in the sun, he was absolutely breathtaking. Bella closed her eyes and counted to ten, getting a good solid grip on her rampaging hormones. Wet fabric suddenly slapped her in the face, Bella’s eyes popping open with shock as a familiar snort of amusement reached her from above. “You!” she exclaimed, a smile crossing her face as she pelted after the Shifter who whirled and ran with bark of laughter, chasing him down until she slipped in the wet grass and went tumbling down the hill where she landed in a laughing heap. Her companion dropped into the grass next to her, reaching out to lace his fingers through hers as they turned to grin at each-other.

Isabell and Henry appeared in the doorway with stacks of towels for the family to pat themselves down with so as to keep from trailing water throughout the house till they could go change. Looking out the window, Isabell couldn’t help but smile at the picture the two of them made, sneaking a photo for herself.

She wasn’t the only one to watch them, however, because Casey had once again caught sight of the two from the back deck, feeling the brutal stab of envy at the easy way Paul was allowed to touch her.

A stab that was shared by Ellie as she watched the two from a bedroom window. She had been sulking by herself with a book that she only opened when someone came to check in on her.

Oh, she _hated_ the fact that plain little Bella got to be friends with someone like _that_. He should be with someone like Ellie, who knew how to put herself together as if she actually cared about her appearance. How was it fair that _Bella_ got to cuddle up to him as if she were pretty enough for someone that handsome? Got to sleep next to him, even?!

Not that Ellie would have been able to bring herself to sleep next to him, herself. There was something about him that unnerved her completely, but she felt confident enough in herself that she felt she could learn to maybe ignore it, eventually. After she had won, that was. Because she wasn’t going to lose.

That he was somehow always where she was _not_ was something that confused her. He didn’t even seem to notice her enough to avoid her, which was frustrating and somewhat embarrassing. She _knew_ she was a pretty girl, as shown by the boys that had fallen all over her since the day she had sprouted boobs.

So it was just a matter of time before he realized what he could have with _her_ and not her tomboy cousin.

>}:{<

Bella stood on a chair as she ran a towel through Paul’s hair, thankful that the weaponry had only included water balloons. Paintball and paintballoon rounds would have been so much harder to get out of his hair and left his beautiful skin Smurfesque, as her family generally preferred to use blue ammunition. Small droplets of water still clung to his skin, shimmering in the sun like champagne diamonds and Bella forced herself to wipe them away with the terrycloth instead of leaning over and _licking_ them off like a small part of her insisted she should.

_Gah! Not good!_ Especially when he turned to look at her over his shoulder when she had paused in her self-imposed towel duty and she was forced to paste an innocent smile on her face. The smile that crossed his face was a touch less innocent than hers, as if he sensed something wasn’t quite kosher, but was going to let her get away with it anyway as he turned away.

Bella blew out her cheeks in a silent sigh of relief. She really needed to stop doing things that could get her into trouble with him. He was good about it so far, but with Ellie pushing him constantly, Bella should be making his life easier not harder.

Resolving to be on her best behavior around him, Bella squeezed out as much moisture from the gleaming black strands as she could before patting him on the shoulder to let him know she was done. He stepped away from her, allowing her to climb down with a good grip on his arm to maintain her balance.

“Want to go change before dinner? You’re still pretty soaked.” He might dry faster than normal due to his high internal temperature, but wearing wet clothing until then wouldn't be fun. Bella had luckily avoided the worst of the water-fight and was only damp.  

He winked at her before following her advice.

Bella was just passing through the archway into the kitchen when she was pulled off course by hands wrapping around her wrists and tugging. It was so reminiscent of the last time that Jacob had yanked her around in Emily’s kitchen that she automatically dug in her heels and jerked at her arms. Her upper lip curled into a snarl before her mouth was abruptly covered by another pair of lips that seemed to take no account of the reluctance of the girl.

Bella inhaled sharply but thankfully didn’t open her mouth far enough to encourage a deeper kiss.

She glared at the redheaded blur before her, tempted to kick in the man’s shin to get free. His touch left her cold where his hands shackled her wrists and his legs touched her own as he bent over her.

_Where was Paul?!_

Oh God, she hoped he wasn’t watching this, because it was humiliating and unwanted. She yanked at her wrists again only for it to work against her as the momentum pulled Casey closer when he refused to let go.

“Let. Me. Go.” She gritted through their lips, her tone sharp and heated.

Slow, sarcastic clapping suddenly sounded from behind them and Casey cursed as he pulled away.

Paul moved out of the shadows and into the light, still clapping as if applauding a particularly dramatic scene in a play. “Oh, nicely done,” he sneered, tone dark with a touch of scarcely concealed aggression.

Bella finally succumbed to kicking the idiot’s shin to get his attention and he let her go with the most annoying smirk crossing his lips, not sorry at all. But his face darkened as Bella forcefully scrubbed at her mouth with the back of her arm as if she could wipe away the taste of him.

Bella knew she had to diffuse this quickly, before Paul lost his temper and accidentally killed Casey. He was already moving forward, slowly and deliberately beginning to crowd himself into the other man’s space, when Bella put her back to him and leaned back. He stopped, body coming in line with Bella’s and she forced back a sigh of relief as he came to a halt. She knew damned well that she couldn’t have stopped him were he truly intent on hurting the other man. It had occurred to her that she had placed herself in a very dangerous position if he had been unwilling to back down, but she knew that she was the only one with even half of a decent chance at stopping him.

Paul had already proven himself to be violently protective of her. Right now she was especially worried given the way he had treated the last male to accost her, and _he_ hadn’t even laid a hand on her. He’d gotten pissy enough when _Mike_ had simply followed her around. What he’d done to Jonah for insulting her didn’t bear thinking about.

Heavy arms came round to wrap around her body and lifted her onto the tips of her toes as Paul leaned down to nuzzle her. “But, sadly, lacking in the end,” he continued. “Willing participation by both parties _does_ count,” he mock-chided.

Casey turned red with embarrassment as Bella didn’t refute him. Was she really unwilling? But she’d pulled him closer…hadn’t she? Her typically doe-like eyes were hard as she watched him while huddled back into her friend.

“Besides,” that low, rough voice was now almost conversational despite the tense atmosphere, as if imparting simple advice. “ _That_ is not how you kiss this girl.”

Casey curled his lip snidely. He was fast losing patience with the whole situation, having expended a great deal of it trying to get the girl to respond to him. That she hadn’t had been a bit humiliating. That this ignorant fuck was telling how to kiss a girl was even worse. Casey had gained _plenty_ of experience in his twenty-two years, especially since he’d been picked up by the semi-pro league. “Oh, really?” he spat, sarcasm lacing every word. “And just how _are_ you supposed to kiss her then, genius?”

One of those big hands slid down over a hip in a slow caress, thumb trailing the bared sliver of skin between her top and the low-slung band of her shorts.

Casey could feel the weight of those hidden eyes, taunting him with the touch of her skin that the girl had denied him, and again he wondered what kind of deformity the freak was hiding.

As if he could hear the thought, Paul pulled his glasses up atop his head. Gazing back down into his own were eyes as cold and brutal as nuclear winter, shimmering like chips of metallic ice in the shadows. They narrowed thoughtfully, his lips tipping back into mockery as Casey involuntarily shivered.

_Jesus…_

He took a reluctant step back, and something in him screamed that here was something dangerous. _Here_ was something you didn’t turn your back on lest he kill you and wallow in your blood. Paul’s smile widened, a predatory flash of teeth that had nothing to do with humor as he bent to press his lips to the girl’s thundering pulse.

“It’s very simple,” Paul said, letting her back down onto her feet and gently fisting his hand into the strands of Bella’s hair, tipping her head back. “You only have to mean it.”

Bella fought not to hyperventilate as Paul turned her towards him and bent to slowly brush his lips along hers. Gentle, careful, because for all of their fullness his lips weren’t soft, but firm. Very nearly hard under their velvet-like surface. They stroked against her own in a way that set her pulse hurtling along like a racehorse at full gallop. Melting was looking imminent.

But for all that she was having trouble breathing, she knew better than to take the kiss at face value. Because having removed his typical avenue of extracting revenge, it had been certain that he would find a way to hit the other man where it hurt…and Bella could deny him nothing. She doubted she ever _would_. Not even with knowing what this moment would cost her a piece of heart.

_And she wouldn’t trade a moment of it for anything._

Slowly, hesitantly, she began to kiss him back, because if this was going to be a one-time-deal she wanted to at least have the memory that she hadn’t reacted like a startled goldfish. She felt his hand tighten in her hair and hoped he wasn’t angry with her later. But he didn’t stiffen up on her. Didn’t otherwise react even when she brought her hand up to curl around the back of his neck as she came up onto her toes to lessen the strain on her neck.

When he finally pulled away and Bella had taken a few seconds to pull her scattered neurons back into a semblance of normalcy, she noticed that their audience had shrunk down to a grand total of zero. 

Casey had left some time ago. Not long after it occurred to him that he had completely slipped Bella’s mind as she kissed the other man. And if she could so easily forget about him, then maybe he didn’t want to be with her after all. He wasn’t someone who took well to rejection, but what could he do? He was a guest in Phil’s house and the girl was his teammate’s frigging _step-daughter._ A little fact that he had misplaced in his mind when plotting to get closer to her.

He didn’t even want to think about what her freaky friend might do to him if he pushed Bella any harder.

>}:{<

That night, Bella was unusually quiet as she sat at the dinner table. She didn’t quite know what _to_ say, to be honest. Didn’t know what to think, either.

Part of her had wondered for the longest time about what it might actually feel like to kiss the Were. The answer? Overwhelming.

Her lips _still_ tingled from where Paul’s had brushed against hers. The phantom touch of his fingers where they had skated over her bare skin lingered.

She had felt overheated and boneless when he’d finally let go of her, face unreadable as he watched her from cool eyes.

She wasn’t used to being unable to read him and it had made her nervous. Tongue tied. The feel of his body had been stamped across the front of her own as he’d stood there looking so remote and untouchable. She’d feared that she’d made a terrible mistake in kissing him back, betrayed him in truth this time.

Fear had stampeded through her in a painful rush because she couldn’t bear to lose him.

“This won’t happen again.” His tone had been flat enough to break her heart. She’d opened her mouth to beg him to forgive her for whatever she had done, to _say_ something… _anything at all._  But he had quickly cut her off.

“I don’t care _what_ you have to do to him, nail him in the fucking nuts if you have to. If I find him harassing you again, I _am_ going to hurt him.” A muscle had ticked in his jaw as he stared her down as if daring her to disagree with him.

But relief had staggered her. She could only nod in agreement as he gave her his own curt nod in response before stalking up the stairs to change his clothes.

Her time in the kitchen had served to give her time to think some things over. The conclusions she’d come to had been painful because now she had a good idea of what had pissed him off so badly.

She was in distress and when he’d moved to hurt Casey for it, to retaliate in her stead, she’d blocked him.

It must have felt as if she’d rejected him in some way, because it was far more likely that he’d been running on instinct with the need to put Casey through the floor when she’d put herself between the two males. Casey likely had no idea how close he came to having his career ended _for_ him before it ever really took off, because Paul might have _broken_ him.

Sometimes, she forgot just how close to the beast Paul actually was.

She was his Pack, the only one he claimed by choice, and she’d deprived him of his right to protect her as he saw fit. He must have been so disappointed in her…Because now she felt a distance from him that she hated. A tiny chasm that could widen to impossible proportions if she didn’t find some way to bridge it. 

Bella had never been good with guilt. It’s why she tended to be such a goody goody. She couldn’t stand hurting people, and that _she_ might have been the one to have hurt Paul was unbearable.

She gazed at him out of the corner of her eye, picking at her food as she did so. Paul seemed to feel her eyes on him because he glanced up at her. He lifted a brow in question and Bella attempted a smile. But it felt wobbly and false even to her and so she dropped her eyes back to her plate, suddenly no longer interested in even pretending to eat.

Finally, she was able to escape into the living room where the rest of the family began passing out gifts; smiling and laughing where appropriate, unwrapping gifts when they appeared in front of her. But her mind was a million miles away, even if the focus of her thoughts sat inches from her, as composed as he had been before the upset. She was glad to see that everyone was easier around him, as if the word had been passed around that Paul was an acceptable addition to family gatherings. She suspected the boys, because even she had seen their campaign to keep Ellie away from him. It had been very sweet of them, and she was thankful because it was just one more thing that she didn’t have to worry about.

Suddenly a hand brushed down her arm towards her own hand before lacing their fingers together, drawing her out of her thoughts. Bella went still at the familiar touch. She turned, almost hesitant to look at him, not wanting to see the disappointment she felt sure must still be present. But it wasn’t there. His lips quirked up into a quick smile and Bella felt the tension in her shoulders drain away in relief because it felt like… _forgiveness_.

She couldn’t help but lean into him as she felt his thumb stroke over her wrist.

_Now if only she could figure out what to do with her Grandfather, who had been avoiding her all day…_

It hurt. A lot. But she suspected that she would have to give up Paul entirely to regain his approval, something she was unwilling to do. Henry was _very_ old fashioned, and sometimes she wondered if he hadn’t been born in the wrong century. Her Grandmother’s disapproval wasn’t nearly as painful, because Bella was still treated as a member of the family even if she didn’t like the closeness between Paul and herself.

But she could still feel her Grandfather’s eyes on her. Disappointed and piercing. She felt her face flame with embarrassment at the man’s behavior and moved closer to Paul as if she could draw comfort from his presence.

Renée glanced up as Bella scooted closer to Paul, thankful to see that whatever misunderstanding might have occurred between the two had seemingly resolved itself. It had been pretty clear that s _omething_ had happened, but _what_ had been the mystery.

Bella had looked so dejected as she’d sat at the kitchen table, bent over with her head on her arms as she waited for her turkey to finish cooking. Renée had walked by a few times, and had been tempted to ask, but Bella wasn’t the type to like sharing when she was at her lowest. She seemed to feel as if she was burdening others. Trying to get her to talk was worse than pulling teeth and twice as painful, because Bella would simply clam up and refuse to speak until she was ready. So while Renée didn’t have to like it, she _did_ have to respect it.

Paul had been another story entirely. Quieter than ever, he had gone for a walk that she suspected was just to get him out of the house. It was only after she observed the usually outgoing Casey avoiding him that she suspected something might have gone down between the three of them. She’d seen the looks that Casey had sent Bella’s way and had hoped that he would have the good sense to refrain from acting on them. She was just thankful that he was still in one piece. That Bella must have gotten between the two of them was likely and might account for the faint estrangement that had existed for those few hours before it was gift-giving time.

But seeing them now, no one would ever guess that anything had been wrong.

Sadly, right when the two finally looked as they’d fully relaxed into the evening, Ellie attempted to make her move. She’d been hovering on the periphery ever since the family had relocated into the living room and congregated about the tree. She’d gotten up and had just gotten herself a glass of milk when she spotted Paul’s unoccupied lap. Now that he’d stopped looking so hands-off, she’d apparently decided it was time that she had his undivided attention.

Renée only just saw the cavalry rallying as Gareth touched Matt’s knee before giving a tiny jerk of his head. The little boy’s head whipped around to see what was going on, before a determined gleam appeared in his eyes. Then he was up off the ground and before anyone could think to stop him, he’d crossed the room in front of Ellie and claimed Paul’s lap for himself with a leap.

Paul caught the boy on reflex, brows drawing together in surprise at Matt’s temerity.

For a moment, Bella worried. Oh, not that he’d hurt Matt. Paul had quietly admitted to her that he actually liked the little boy. And how could he not? Matt was adorable. But his wasn’t an invited touch, and Paul had reacted rather strongly in the past, including almost betraying his nature to Mike Newton, who was luckily too cowed by him to question the fact that Paul had left finger shaped indentations in stainless steel. That had been because of a tap on the back. This was an invasion of his space and…

Paul’s lips quirked up into a smirk as he allowed the scamp to stay where he was. Maybe that kind of bravery deserved a reward, Bella surmised, because not even Chloe, who tended to be utterly fearless, would get near him.

Ellie glared at her cousin from where he sat ensconced in _her_ seat. It wasn’t fair! So what if he was Bella’s best friend and slept with her every night, something she could _still_ hardly believe Aunt Renée actually allowed. So what if Matthew had gotten there first! She wanted him more! She wanted to stomp her feet like a toddler and pout, but that might bring even more attention to her than she wanted. So far, Paul seemed oblivious to her advances, and while a touch humiliating, it was better than outright rejection she supposed.

Then she smiled.

She wasn’t beaten yet.

All it would take was a little luck, a bit of planning and a short window of opportunity.

Bella didn’t trust that smile as the girl turned and gracefully strode back to her seat as if nothing had happened. It spoke of trouble. She would have to talk to Paul about keeping an eye out for any machinations of Ellie’s. He had been doing a damned good job of avoiding her so far, so good in fact that even _she_ wasn’t sure if it had been intentional or not. He just always seemed to be where Ellie was not. A skill that Bella dearly wished she possessed because Ellie wasn’t exactly her most favorite of people.

She missed the look that Matt and Paul shared as the blonde girl walked away. The look of sly triumph in the boy’s green eyes as his scheme paid off. Because who would suspect the shy little boy of out-maneuvering his much older cousin so handily?

>}:{<

It was going on ten o’clock at night when Henry watched as Bella led her strange friend up the stairs for the night. She had looked completely done in, in his opinion. Something he figured must have been her friend’s fault.

_Who else could possibly be at fault?_

He’d kept an eye on them the entire day, and hadn’t liked a bit of what he had observed.

She seemed to constantly be around Paul, orbiting him as if he were the center of her universe. It was unsettling to tell the truth. Because young ladies aught not be so attached to a man they were not legally wed to. It wasn’t seemly. Not that he was so old-fashioned as to believe that friendship between the sexes was wrong, but they should be kept to a more decorous distance.

Not cuddled up in the same bed like a husband and wife should only ever be.

With that thought in mind, he started into the kitchen with the intent of finally confronting his own daughter about her lax parenting ethics.

He almost changed his mind as he took in the sight of Renée surrounded by her brothers, sisters, and her in-laws. Mark had finally arrived with his new girlfriend in tow and everyone had been extremely kind to the young woman. They had made her feel right at home, even Isabell despite her disapproval of the situation.

Renée herself looked relaxed and happy, and while he didn’t want to ruin that, things must be said before Bella got into a situation she couldn’t extract herself from. He didn’t see Paul relinquishing his hold on the girl without outside influence to do so, and he was more than willing to help exert pressure if need be.

But first…

“Renée? Can I talk to you for a moment?”

Renée closed her eyes for a moment in dread. She had known this conversation would come, she had just been hoping to put it off for a while longer. But it apparently wasn’t meant be as her father scooted her chair back with her in it, a silent insistence that she follow him from the room.

She sighed, but got up and dutifully followed the older man from the room, feeling the sympathetic eyes of her companions follow her as she did so. Up the stairs and off to the right was a small office, far removed from the bedrooms, so she could at least be certain that no raised voices would be overheard by an accidental passerby.

She took a seat at the desk, allowing herself to feel the faint sense of power the position gave her, _because she was going to need it_ _._

“Alright Dad. Shoot.”

“Paul. He is neither family nor wedded partner. His presence is not appropriate, nor does it set a good example for the younger children.”

Renée took a calming breath. “First of all, he is Bella’s best friend, so that makes his presence here a welcome one. Second of all, Bella is _not_ a child. She is legally an adult, and as long as she is not behaving inappropriately in the company of impressionable children, which she would _never do_ , she is free to take the comfort she obviously needs from him.”

“Damnit, Renée! Be reasonable!” Henry barked, raking a frustrated hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “He is already causing problems! Ellie-”

“Ellie is her _own_ problem! It is _not_ Paul’s fault that the girl can’t take a hint and he has been _more_ than careful to keep away from her!”

“And when he decides that her crush will make her an easy target?”

“Are you suggesting that Bella is stupid enough to bring a pedophile into my house?!” Renée narrowed her eyes in disbelief.

Henry winced. This was getting far off track. “You know how I feel about Bella’s intelligence. She is quite possibly the smartest of my grandchildren and I couldn’t be prouder _of_ _her._ But you have to admit that having that young man here isn’t normal!”

“What exactly _is_ normal, Dad?” Renée asked, her mouth tight with frustration of her own. “Is it normal that Bella couldn’t sleep without him? That she was starting to become _ill_ _f_ rom lack of sleep? Not even codeine was able to knock her out and you know how sensitive she is to that stuff! She generally refuses to take medical grade pain reliever even when she _needs_ it. But nearly the very second she climbed into his lap after we picked him up from the airport, she was out like a light. She _trusts_ him!”

Henry crossed his arms. “Well, I _don’t_ trust him.”

“Then that is _your_ problem, Dad.” Renée stood up. “Paul may not be to your liking, but he hasn’t done a _single_ _thing_ to have earned your animosity except for being close to Bella. So, you might want to think carefully about where you go from here, because you are in serious danger of alienating her completely. She’s not blind, and she is already deeply hurt by your behavior today. You might want to rethink avoiding her if don’t want to make a habit of it. Because while Bella _is_ _f_ orgiving, she doesn’t forget. And she _won’t_ forget how you treated her, simply because you _‘_ _don’t approve’._ I know _I_ _c_ ertainly won’t forget how you treated my daughters today.”

And with that food for thought, Renée moved out from behind the desk and walked from the room.

>}:{<


	20. One Way Or Another - Blondie

It was still dark outside her window when Bella opened her eyes on Christmas Day.

The quiet of the house was soothing after the craziness of the day before and the insanity that she knew would resume just as soon as the sun's rays broke over the horizon.

Presents from family were always opened on Christmas Eve, but Santa's gifts were opened Christmas Day. Afterwards, the entire family got dressed up and went to the late service at church, and-

Uh oh…

Oh crap! Bella had completely forgotten to tell Paul about church! It was something they had all done as a family for as long as she could remember. They dressed up in suits and nice dresses, for some the only time in the year they actually bothered. But attendance had always been mandatory for all family members and guests, so Paul had to go. He just couldn't go in jeans while the rest of the family dressed up. She briefly thought about suggesting that they _both_ sit the service out, but she didn't want her Grandfather to get up in arms about that as well. That Bella didn't go to services regularly was already a sore spot with the elder man.

"What are you stressing about?" came a quite rumble from behind her.

Bella jumped, unaware that Paul had been awake. "I forgot to tell you that we go to church on Christmas Day. We all dress up pretty formally, so no t-shirt and jeans. I can stay here with you if you like, but I don't want Grandpa blaming you for that, too! He's already acting like a bit of a jerk about you. I'm sorry about that, by the way, he's just really old fashioned. But-"

Bella would have gone on with the nervous ramble forever, if Paul hadn't of flipped her onto her back and silenced her with a finger pressed to her lips. She blinked up at him, eyes wide as she obligingly went quiet under his urging.

"Now, half-speed. What's the problem _exactly_?" That Paul didn't comment on her Grandfather's behavior was kind of him, Bella decided, because Henry's treatment of the two of them had been rather childish.

"We're going to be expected to go with the family to church, and I forgot to tell you to bring something to wear," she finished a bit lamely.

"Sam warned me. Said you do formal at Christmas. So no worries, I brought something." Paul's eyes glinted with humor in the darkness.

"You have a suit?" Bella couldn't fathom such a thing. Paul's normal wardrobe consisted of clothing that tended to be more biker-punk and the occasional club wear, with steel reinforced biker boots. His fashion sense made him pretty to look at, if a bit exotic for the typical style of Forks. So a suit, especially a half-way decent one, was something she wouldn't've ever thought to see on Paul.

"Haven insists everyone own a couple of suits for the higher-end parties," he responded with a scarcely concealed yawn.

_She_ _ **definitely**_ _owed Haven a thank you right about now._ Both because of the unintentional save, and because the thought of Paul in a suit was kind of mind blowing. In a really good way…and Bella  _really_  hoped he couldn't see her blushing just then…

"Now," he continued. "Not sure about you, but I could use a couple more hours."

Bella nodded agreement and cuddled into him as he pulled her closer, settling his face into the curve where her neck met her shoulder. Her hand came up to run her fingers through his hair and down the back of his neck in a repetitive, soothing caress to help him back to sleep. She felt his lips press against her flesh where it was bared by the narrow strap of her sleep shirt, a low purring rumble reaching her ears that soon urged her to follow him to sleep.

}:{

It was hours later when Bella found herself blinking into the sunlight as it poured through the window.

She was alone in the bed, the bathroom door cracked open as steam billowed out. The sounds of spraying water reached her ears and Bella was suddenly awake enough that she had the sudden, desperate urge to cover her eyes to keep from peeking. Because it could only be Paul in there and the thought of him standing in the shower, water sluicing down his naked body, was just a cruel and unusual type of punishment for anyone with any kind of imagination.

The water abruptly shut off and Bella began to relax, but it was all for naught when a few seconds later, Paul walked back into the room dressed only in a towel knotted across his hip. Bella nearly swallowed her tongue as he prowled practically nude across the soft carpeting towards his bag. She clenched her eyes tightly shut as he reached for the knot and slowly worked it lose, back towards her as he gazed out the window blinds where they faced into the back yard. Her heart hammering away in her suddenly too-tight chest, Bella could hear the faint thump of the towel hitting the floor and then the zipper sliding open before he dug into his bag for clean clothing. Then the muffled sounds his dressing followed and Bella didn't dare peek until she felt his hand smoothing down her back.

"Safe to open your eyes," he murmured, amusement coloring his tone.

The finished result was hardly any easier on the eyes as he knelt by the bed, tight faded blue jeans and a pale blue V-necked tee-shirt so snug she could have counted every rise and dip of his abs sans touch. Forcing herself to focus on his face, she calmed herself and smiled back at him as he gently tugged one of her wayward curls before getting back on his feet, pulling back the blankets as he did so in a silent urging for her to go ahead and get up.

Taking the hand he offered, Bella pulled herself upright before yawning with a spine-bending stretch. Frowning at the taste of her own morning breath, Bella quickly shut her mouth with a blush and hurried towards the bathroom to get started on her morning ablutions. Shutting the door, she hurried through her shower and brushed her teeth with a sigh of relief.

Then she realized the mistake she had made.

Damnit…in her rush to get cleaned up for breakfast, she'd completely forgotten to grab the clothes she was going to change  _in_  to. She did  _not_  have the self-confidence to walk through her room dressed in a towel. With _her_  luck she would trip over a dust bunny, the towel would unravel and she'd be left standing in her birthday suit. Not a desirable outcome at all…

Bella winced at the thought. She had absolutely no intention of parading around in the nude, _especially_  in front of Paul!

She could already feel the urge to start hyperventilating and choked it down. It wouldn't do to have a panic attack in the bathroom where there was any number hard surfaces upon which to brain herself if she fell.

There was a soft knock on the door and Bella's head whipped around, startled.

"Okay in there?" Paul sounded more amused than worried and she wondered if he had worked out her dilemma for himself. It wouldn't have surprised her all that much if he had, he tended to be perceptive that way.

"Just fine…I kinda forgot to do something." She could hear a low chuckle through the door, then the knob turned. Bella's stomach attempted to hide behind her knees as it dropped. _"_ _Wait!_ I'm not dressed. In here. And-" she rambled desperately in an attempt to halt his progress. _Stupid girl! Forgot to lock the door!_

"Kinda the point," Paul rumbled, before slowly pushing his arm through the narrow space that he had opened between the door and its frame. Draped over his arm was a pair of shorts, a tank top and…embarrassingly enough, her underthings. She snatched it all up with a hasty thanks, holding it all protectively to her chest until he withdrew again and shut the door behind himself.

Bella blew out her cheeks in a silent exhalation of reprieve. Safe!

She quickly hurled herself into her clothing, fingered some mousse through her wild curls to tame it down a bit, and then hurried out into the bedroom. She knew Paul was most likely starving, having mostly kept to a more human feeding schedule and she had no wish to make him wait any longer.

"Thanks for the clothes," she said in passing, smiling at him as she did so.

He nodded once, then followed after her. Bella needed to hurry because she had overslept. She had KP duty this morning and didn't want someone else to feel the need to take over her duties. Besides, she didn't want to give her Grandfather any more reason to be mad at her.

To date, Bella had never managed to disappoint the man, and it hurt a great deal that he was ignoring her now. Paul didn't seem to care about the old man's behavior beyond the fact that Bella's feelings were hurt, but was willing to let it play out so long as no words were exchanged that hurt her further. He hadn't been terribly impressed by the threatening glares, either, not even to return the threat in kind.

Paul had been even tempered and easy to get along with, baring the Casey incident, and Bella couldn't have been more relieved.

She realized now that she had been asking quite a lot of the Were by having him come down to Jacksonville, because it hadn't been fair to him…not really. A male used to drinking and starting fights at the drop of a dime was not the person she should have been asking to come play happy family with her and her massive troop of relatives. Embry would have been the perfect choice, but she hadn't hesitated for even a second when Sam said Paul was available. She'd asked without thought.

And Paul had done it. Never asked questions and never acted in any way but perfectly polite to every single one of them.

_He had done it for her without hesitation, simply because she'd asked it of him._

So yes, Henry's behavior was hurtful. But in the end, it all came down to what was more important to her. Her desire for her Grandfather's approval, a man she saw maybe twice a year if she were lucky? Or Paul's friendship, something that was infinitely precious to her, something that had crushed her when she thought she might stand to lose it?

}:{

Bella didn't really dress up much. Didn't really even like to, to be honest, no matter how many times she had allowed Alice to dress her up. She usually felt awkward and clumsy around people who dressed up like it was a privilege. The blue dress she had worn for the dance with Edward had been uncomfortable as hell to wear. Too narrow with too many ruffles, it had obviously been picked by a boy who had no idea what might look good on her short, curvy frame and had simply liked the look of the dress. And while at the time she had been a bit flattered by the fact that he had obviously bought it for her, now she could only wish that he had had enough experience in buying women's clothing to not have made her feel foolish by wearing his choice. At least the color had been lovely, she supposed.

Now, Bella was once more choosing her own wardrobe and feeling all the more confident because of it. She didn't have someone leaning over her shoulder telling her what to wear, how to wear it, and with what to accessorize it. And here she apologized to Alice's memory, because she didn't have someone oh so subtly leaning on her to make her comply with what might please Edward.

She was perfectly capable of putting make-up on herself. Of  _dressing_  herself.

Bare minimum of make-up and a festively shimmery rose colored lipstick. A pretty black velvet tea-length dress with gold trim in keeping with the holiday was pulled on and quickly smoothed into place. Low black heels with a shiny gold lace overlay to complete the look.

Or so she had thought, until she looked at her reflection. Frowning at the mirror, Bella sorted through a bag of hair bows and pulled out a wide banded black velvet one with gold accents, then smiled as she once more deemed herself complete. It wouldn't put her on a Cosmo cover, but she looked good enough for church, she decided with one last nod at her reflection.

Knocking on the bathroom door to let Paul know she was ready to come out, she waited just long enough for him to give her the all clear her before turning the knob to let herself out. And stopped in her tracks.

Paul stood in front of the full length mirror on the back of her closet door in a suit as he tied his hair back. Only it wasn't  _just_ a suit. No off-the-rack garment could  _ever_  fit so well, because  _this_  suit fit him as if  _made_  for him, tailored to perfection over his towering frame. It made him appear to be a bit leaner than usual, skimming powerful limbs and emphasizing the slimness of his waist and the breadth of his shoulders. A red silk tie hung loosely around his neck, and Bella used the opportunity to get her hands involved so as to distract her mind. She pulled the chair from the desk to give herself the needed height boost and stood on it before she reached around his neck to carefully begin knotting his tie. He winked at her as she worked and Bella smiled back.

"This is a gorgeous suit," she murmured as she finally pulled the knot flush with the collar of the faintly metallic pewter shirt, then brushed her hands down his shoulders to smooth the fabric into place.

"Haven insisted on the best," he replied, then pulled out his phone to check the time. "We'd better go. Starting to cut it close."

Bella wrapped her arms around his neck one last time to hug him, then climbed down off the chair and slid back into her shoes. Paul walked towards her nightstand and snagged his glasses from the edge of the lampshade, then offered her his arm with a slightly ironic quirk of his lips. Bella just laughed and took it, curling her hand over his forearm with a playful curtsey and allowing him to lead her from the room.

Down the stairs, the crowd was beginning to gain monstrous proportions as they gathered in the hallway. Twelve cousins, eight uncles and a plus one, seven aunts, one mother, one stepfather, two extra bodies in the form of Phil's teammates, and two Grandparents. Add in Bella and Paul and you had a grand total of thirty-six.

Mark turned to see them come down the stairs and let out a low teasing whistle. Bella blushed, but grinned, though she didn't miss the way Ellie's eyes sharpened with avarice as they took in Paul, attention caught by the high-pitched sound. Thankfully, every one of the boys also took note and moved to block her line of sight while seeming to continue to chatter amongst themselves innocuously.

They were separating into groups, Paul actually being tossed the set of keys to the Suburban as six of the boys crowded into it, leaving Bella to ride shotgun. They seemed to have long gotten over most of their fear of their driver, their conversations not slowing down in the slightest as Paul lifted Bella into her seat, then walked around and climbed into the driver's seat.

The trip wasn't a long one, thankfully, only a few miles, and soon they were pulling into the parking lot, the boys and Bella being let off at the curb while Paul went to go park.

It was as he was driving away that Henry reached out and touched Bella's arm. "Bella. Can we talk for a minute?"

Bella forced herself not to wince, because she wasn't looking forward to another argument, especially like the one that she expected he'd had with  _Renée_ just the night before. She'd seen the two of them go off by themselves, only her mother returning with a strained smile locked into place.

Bella exhaled and pasted on her own rather hesitant. But what she saw when she turned to face him was her Grandfather looking a bit sheepish. "I need to apologize for the way I treated you and your young man yesterday."

Bella blinked. _Not_  what she was expecting. Not at all. "I…thank you. You _do_  know he's not my-"

"Your boyfriend. So I've been told," he stated ruefully. A faint harrumphing sound came from behind them, and suddenly Bella understood. Isabell had put her foot down and told her husband what was what. Not that Henry didn't mean his apology, because he never said anything he didn't mean, but he had been helped along it seemed.

Bella reached behind her and squeezed the elder lady's hand in thanks, before stepping forward and wrapping her arms about her Grandfather. "I love you Grandpa. I just love him, too."

His hand smoothed down the back of her dress as he hugged her back. "I can see that. I don't understand it, but I can see it. And more, I'm going to respect it. You're a smart kid. If I had taken even a minute to think about it, it would have occurred to me that you wouldn't let yourself get pulled into anything."

Bella hoped like hell no one could see her flushing face, because she _had_  allowed herself to be led around by the nose by Edward. Like some brainless little lovesick calf.

She could see Paul approaching from over Henry's shoulder, face impassive until she smiled at him to let him know everything was alright. He nodded once to show that he'd gotten the message. Henry, unaware of the potential threat at his back, kissed her atop her curls and then stepped around Bella to grasp his wife's hand. Lifting it to his lips, he kissed the back of it before leading Isabell towards the front door of the church.

Paul once more offered his arm and Bella took it, shrugging as he glanced down at her questioningly. "I guess Grandma had some words with him last night. He apologized for his behavior and seemed to mean it. I don't know what she must have said to him, but I'm glad she got through to him," Bella murmured.

Paul just flashed a fleeting smile in agreement.

}:{

Hours later, when everyone had trooped home after a good, surprisingly humorous service, Bella sat on the sofa in front of the television with Paul's head in her lap, dragging her fingers through his hair as they watched the first Pirates of the Caribbean with the rest of the cousins. The littlest ones were off for a nap, something that Bella was sort of wishing she could do as well.

The only one missing was Ellie, not that Bella could say it was much of a loss.

It wasn't that she didn't love the younger girl…she just didn't _like_  her all that much, something that she felt a bit guilty for.

She'd seen enough of the girl's selfishness to last her a lifetime, even if it had rarely been turned on herself. But then, she'd also never had anything that Ellie wanted for herself either. Different clothing styles meant that Ellie never coveted her clothes. Different reading interests meant that her books never disappeared. And Bella's particular lack of interest in dating before she'd met Edward had meant that no guys were stolen from her by her cousin either.

Not that Ellie would know the first thing about handling Paul even _if_  she got his attention, a task that she'd spectacularly failed to accomplish. Something that Bella would never have believed…if it had been anyone but Paul in question. Because he would never allow a strange girl into his life the way he had Bella without a thorough working knowledge of the supernatural, his own idiosyncrasies not-withstanding. Even Bella knew she had managed to skate into his life by the very skin of her teeth, and it was something she would _never_  take for granted.

Her phone vibrated at her hip, drawing her attention away from her light brooding. A text message had come through from Angela, and Bella was ready to smile…till she _read_ _t_ he dumb thing.

Her very first response after reading it had been a big fat _no_ _!_ _No,_ she did not want to come to a New Year's slumber party at Lauren Mallory's house! She could see it as being the very stuff nightmares were made of!

_-Am I invited, or am I your +1?-_ she returned.

_-Invited-_ came back less than a minute later.

Crap. Which meant that she couldn't bow out of it. Lauren might take it as a slight and that was the very _last_  thing Bella wanted. She had enough trouble fitting in as it was, it wouldn't do to give the other girl more ammunition in her little one-sided war.

Paul must have felt her tense up, because her phone was gently plucked from her fingers before he scrolled up to see what had upset her. After reading it, he cocked a brow in question. " _What's wrong?_ " he mouthed.

Making grabby hands for her phone, she quickly typed out a response.

_-Lauren is a chronic gossip whose favorite target is yours truly.-_

Hitting send, she waited for Paul's phone to register the incoming text message and for him to pull it out of his pocket before continuing.

_-Don't know if this invite is to dig for MORE gossip_

_or if she's actually trying to be nice to me again. I_

_kinda cut her out of my life on accident when I was_

_living in my Edward-induced fog of stupidity.-_

She saw the corner of his mouth tip up in a half smile as he read the text, before his fingers flew over the keys to respond.

_-Looks like the only person who matters in_

_the situation wants you there.-_

Because Angela  _would_  go simply because she was too polite to say no.

Bella had heard all about last year's party, but she'd been far too wrapped up in Edward to attend. She suspected that had hurt Lauren's feelings because that was around the time that Lauren had begun snipping at her…not that it was the type of party she preferred to attend. From what she'd understood, there had been drinking and an incredibly stupid game of truth or dare that had resulted in half the girls going streaking. Luckily, Lauren's house was deep in the tree-line and no one had gotten busted.

Bella's hands returned to their task as she thought about it, and Paul leaned back into her touch. It seemed to be just as soothing to the Were as it was to Bella herself, giving her something to do with her hands while she pondered. But in the end, she knew she'd go, even if only to keep Angela company. It was the very  _least_  she could do for the other girl, considering all the ways Angela had been there for her over the last…Jesus…almost  _ten months_  since Edward had dumped her embarrassingly pathetic self.

She was just glad that Sam had been there to drag her out of the hole she had dug and then tossed herself into. Poor little emo Bella who couldn't handle getting dumped by her first boyfriend? Screw that!

Besides, she had a much happier life now, full of people who didn't push her to be someone she just  _wasn't_. People who were around her not just to test their self-control over their Singer. People who loved her for her, like her family…both of them. People like Charlie and Angela and Sam, like Embry and Jared. And people like Paul.

Digging her fingers into the tautly corded muscles in his neck, Bella smiled as she felt a soundless growl of pleasure work its way up his throat, far too low for a human to properly register at any kind of distance. She loved when he was relaxed enough to react that way, as if he were letting her see some intriguing new facet of him.

She was just settling back into the movie when she realized that she had yet to respond to Angela's last text message.

- _Will be there. Gotta stick with my bestie! :)_

_Oh, thank Goodness!_   _Will text later with details!-_ Came Angela's response.

Putting her phone away, Bella allowed herself to get reabsorbed back into the adventures of a silly pirate and two young adventurers-in-the-making.

}:{

Ellie could hear the sounds of the movie downstairs in the living room. She'd avoided it, not wanting to see Bella and Paul hanging all over each other as they tended to do. Even skipping dinner, because she just wasn't hungry enough to watch those two practically live in each other's back pockets.

It actually hurt more than she'd liked to admit, because she wasn't used to failure. Wasn't used to a boy wanting nothing to do with her. She'd always been more than smart enough/pretty enough/popular enough to get whatever she wanted.

So why couldn't she get Paul?

She heard her cousins milling about at intermission time before they started the next movie, laughing and running in various directions to go to the bathroom or grab snacks. And part of her wished she could be with them, but it paled in comparison to the urge to hide away from the face of her glaring failure.

She only had tonight and tomorrow to plan, then the curtain would forcefully come down on whatever plot she might possibly engineer to drive a wedge between the two. But the two were so incredibly close.  _She'd_  never felt that close to  _any_  of her boyfriends, so how was it that Bella had attained it with a simple  _friendship_? It didn't seem quite fair.

_Fair…_

Funny concept coming from her, because was it really fair for her to want to take Paul away from Bella? Ellie experienced a strange, fleeting moment of shame as she took stock of what, exactly, it was that she was about to attempt. Bella was her cousin! Why was she even contemplating hurting her to get her own way?

Because Bella was in her way. A lifetime of selfishness, while not  _quite_  encouraged by her family, stated that she go get what she wanted and damn the consequences. So what if Bella got hurt…she should have jumped on that when she had the chance. Though even that might not have stopped her, to be honest. Paul was way too beautiful to give up on simply because he might be taken.

And hours later, she finally had her chance.

Bella had come up the stairs by herself and gone who knows where. Ellie had checked her room only to find it empty, the lights off and the bed turned back.

Ellie looked at the bed. Sitting there so beckoningly and full of so many possibilities.

It would be so very simple to pull off. And while she knew that eventually she would be found out, it was the time that it would give her to change his mind about her that was important.

Not stopping to think about all the ways it could go wrong, Ellie hurriedly stripped out of her outer clothing and hid them behind the bed and out of sight, then quickly buried herself under the blankets. She made sure to tuck her long hair under as well so as to keep from giving herself away when Paul turned on the lights to get ready for bed. She knew she had a good figure and once Paul actually got his hands on her, she felt certain that short, frumpy Bella would be forgotten. So what if Paul might assume that Bella was being a little friendlier than usual for her, it could only work out to Ellie's advantage.

Once he climbed into the bed and cuddled up to her, she'd let him touch  _everything._ She had absolutely no doubts that he would  _want to._

She waited in silence as the movie wound to a close, the sounds of it drifting up the stairs and through the open doorway. A part of her wondered what had happened to Bella, but she forced the thought away. Now was not the time to worry over the other girl, because Ellie was about to ruin her little friendship.

A sly, smug grin crept across her lips as she finally heard the nearly silent footsteps of Paul making his way up the stairs. Going still, the girl pretended to be asleep so that he would be more inclined to simply crawl in with her to keep from waking her.

That was the plan…and then it wasn't. Because she suddenly felt herself go airborne before a grunt was forced from her as her stomach impacted a shoulder harder than iron. She actually couldn't move for a moment, the breath having been knocked out of her, and she wheezed for air. Still wrapped in blankets and comforter, Ellie could hardly see a thing and so she squawked in protest of her ignoble treatment after she was able to get her lungs to re-inflate. Then they were moving, the carpet floating by in the tiny space she could actually see with the blankets obscuring her view.

She wondered what kind of games he and Bella must play that he would fling the smaller girl around like this?! It was painful and very unnerving to be manhandled so easily, because Ellie knew she was no lightweight. At five foot ten, she may have been slim, but she was no stick figure.

They turned the corner and the door banged against the wall as they left the room before moving down the hallway towards the back stairs.

Suddenly, Ellie didn't care if he actually knew who he was carrying or not and tried to wiggle out from under the blankets. "Let me go!" she hissed, kicking at him desperately despite being hampered by the bedding and his hold on her legs, suddenly now very nervous about where he might be taking her. This wasn't supposed to happen! He was supposed to have cuddled up to her and taken his dear sweet time discovering her very willing body!

"Kick me again and I'll break it," came the growling response. And she actually believed he'd do it. A sudden thrill of fear washed over Ellie at the tone, because it sounded far more pissed than she could have guessed he might ever be over her attempted deceit. He'd been so even tempered! He played the gentleman so well, that she realized had forgotten just how dangerous he had  _felt_  the day she had met him. Now, she found herself going very still, unwilling to ever hear that tone of voice directed at her again.

Then they were bouncing down the stairs, what felt like four at a time, no care given for how it drove his shoulder up under her diaphragm with every step. Her fear of him now warring with her fear of their eventual destination, Ellie had to force herself not to kick at him, because she was half afraid it might fray his temper further.

Then his stride was leveling out over flat flooring and Ellie panicked as the muffled sounds of voices made their way through the fabric wrapping her up like a human burrito…just seconds before she was unceremoniously dumped on her ass on the carpeting.

"Pardon me." Paul's voice was politesse itself, far removed from the beastly tone scant moments before, and the silence that greeted his statement was almost as terrifying as  _he_ was. Ellie tried desperately to hold the blankets to her body as they were abruptly yanked from her grasp. But to her humiliation, she found herself laying sprawled on the living room floor in her underwear, trying desperately to hide herself from her family's shocked gazes. Tears, great big ones, began rolling down her cheeks as Paul stood over her, face cold as he eyed her like one would a particularly ugly bug right before they squashed it underfoot. "But I found  _that_  in Bella's bed."

"Ellie…?" her mother's stunned voice permeated her haze of shame. "Why did you… _what_ did you…I don't even know where to start…"

Ellie curled into a ball of misery in all her nakedness, pointing a shaking finger at the big jerk. "He did this to me!"

Gasps filled the room and a part of Ellie could only feel triumph that Paul would be punished. After all, he had rejected and publicly mortified her. He deserved to feel at least a modicum of what she was feeling and she  _still_  felt that it would not be enough. She turned to face her mother, waiting to see the woman turn on Paul with the accusation, but she was to be disappointed.

Stacey's eyes shown with grave disappointment and not a small bit of disbelief. "Oh Ellie…Why would you lie about that?"

The girl's skin blushed beet red, but she persisted. She  _had_  to make people believe her, because she just  _couldn't_  swallow back her hurt pride long enough to allow him to get away with turning her down so publicly. It would have felt like swallowing the most vile of poisons. "I'm not lying!" She finally spat out, letting her chin quiver as if hurt by the accusation. "I was just laying there in bed and he came in and-"

"Stop right there." John cut her off, his voice full of displeasure. It was a voice his daughter rarely heard, one that meant he had been pushed too far, and Ellie cringed as it slowly escalated in volume. "You  _are_  lying. You think we don't  _know_  what you sound like when you do it? I generally let you get away with it because I didn't want to teach you to become a better liar. But this lie can't even stand up. Not only are you  _not_ in the bedding from the room you were assigned, Paul hadn't even been  _gone_  long enough to have pulled this off!"

"Do you know what that kind of accusation can do to someone?" Stacey murmured, quiet as if still not certain that she had heard right. "Honey, that is something that follows someone for life. Labeling someone a sex offender is a very serious allegation. Why would you lie about something like this?"

Ellie recoiled. She hadn't even thought about the consequences of her lie, she had just run in the direction of getting herself out of trouble. Only she had now made it so much worse, because her father looked utterly disgusted with her. Why did she try to get into bed with Paul? This outcome was so much worse than anything she had imagined and she didn't know how to get out of it. "I'm…I'm sorry," she whispered. Something that tended to always get her out of trouble, if she looked like she actually meant it. And she did...she was  _so_ sorry she'd ever seen the asshole. Sorry that she'd ever wanted him. And sorry that she had been embarrassed so publicly.

"Yeah. You will be. You're grounded." John's voice was far too calm. "No parties, no cell phone other than to call the family and classmates to get assignments, texting will be canceled from your service plan, no movie theaters, no driving. You will go straight to school on the bus and come straight home, again on the bus. You will not have friends over and you will be monitored."

Ellie began to sob in earnest now, face going red as she hiccupped. "For how long?"

"Until you can apologize and mean it. Until I can actually  _believe_  you when you speak."

Paul finally relinquished the bedding she had made the trip down the stairs in, tossing it all at her and she grabbed at it in desperation to finally cover herself.

Looking up, she saw Paul staring at her with a cool intensity, face stone-like and unreadable. Then he knelt before her, back to the family as he caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look up at him. "Don't know what you have against Bella," he murmured. "But you won't be using me to hurt her. You won't be getting  _near_ me. Don't you  _ever_  try to touch me again, little girl."

Ellie yanked free of his hold and looked anywhere  _but_  at him. She couldn't bear to, no matter how pretty he was. How could he not appreciate the lengths she had gone through to get him? The trouble she had gotten into  _for_  him? Glancing up at him through tear-soaked lashes, she could see he was entirely unmoved.

She paled in further mortification, huddling deeper into the bedding as he got to his feet and backed away, a mocking curl of his lips telling her  _exactly_  what he thought of her…

Then he was gone.

And Ellie was left with not even the tattered remains of her dignity to comfort her.

}:{

Bella awoke at the sound of a crash, like that of a door slamming into and then bouncing off a wall.

Sitting upright in the huge tub, she hurriedly rinsed off and then climbed out to throw her pajamas on over her damp skin.

But when she left the bathroom, she was greeted by the sight of an empty bedroom. Strangely enough, the bed itself was half stripped, the bottom sheet half-way yanked off the mattress. The rest of the bedding was actually missing and a search revealed the clothing that at first glance looked like what Ellie had been wearing earlier that day.

What the actual fuck…?

Bella rushed through the door and towards the room Ellie was sharing with Rose, Gareth's younger twin. That room was also empty. She was just making her way back towards her own room when Paul came around the corner, stone faced and body taut with impending violence.

Oh  _shit_ …What had Ellie done?

Belle stepped closer, her eyes widening as they continued to take him in. Because his upper lip had curled up to display sharp white fangs, his eyes glowing from behind even the heavily silvered lenses of his glasses. Every movement was careful and deliberate, every step predator-silent as he stalked down the hallway towards her. Bypassing Bella's open bedroom door, he closed in on her, then swept her up into his arms with a near-silent growl.

Bella was stunned into immobility for all of a second before she wiggled around to get a better hold on him, eventually wrapping her arms and legs around his body and holding onto him for all that she was worth. She heard more then saw him shut the door behind them as he walked them backwards into her room. Then he dropped to the floor on his knees, Bella still clinging to him like a particularly tenacious vine.

Jesus…he was  _shaking_. Like an addict going through withdrawal.

Bella only wrapped around him tighter, fisting her hand into his hair and dragging his head down to the curve of her shoulder after yanking his glasses away, gently shushing him as she did so. He was growling intermittently, seemingly unable to throttle it back completely. She could feel the sharp press of his fangs against her skin beside the tank strap over her shoulder, before he buried his face against her neck, now holding her so tightly she was forced to swallow a squeak of protest.

It seemed an eternity before he was able to get a handle on himself, and during that time, Bella simply held him and soothed him back from the edge of a total break with humanity. She'd wondered, at first, if this had been a trauma response to Ellie attempting to somehow seduce him. Then she'd realized it was far more than that. He wasn't traumatized…he was utterly  _pissed off._ And he was desperately struggling to hold back the Wolf in a place where there was no one he could pound on without breaking them and no Sam to attempt to Alpha Order him back to his senses.

It was all up to Bella and himself to pull him back from the edge. And Bella couldn't have been prouder of him then she was in that moment, because he was refusing to snap. Not here. Not where he might hurt her family. Not even for whatever it was that Ellie had done to him.

The shaking gradually slowed to sporadic tremors, the growling eventually tapering off completely and Bella no longer wondered if he might accidentally slice her with the sharpness of his teeth as his fangs receded and regained their human shape, the sharp prick of them no longer threatening her flesh. Her hand continued to gently pull at his hair in a soothing tug and release motion, the other smoothing up and down the deep musculature of his back. And only then, when the last of the tension seemed to finally leave him, when he simply held her close and breathed slowly, did she dare ask what had happened.

"Found the bitch in your bed, sans clothes. I removed her, and she told her parents that I had assaulted her."

Eyes wide, Bella pulled back as her mouth opened in shock. "You…you can't be serious?!" she sputtered in disbelief. "How could…I mean, why would she-" She couldn't even get out the question she wanted to ask…the one that would have him explaining how her cousin could be so foolish. Because there  _was_  no answer. If Paul had treated  _Bella_ the way he had treated Ellie, she would have never  _dared_  go near him, let alone strip half-naked and leave herself in such a vulnerable position.

Of course, she didn't have Ellie's brazen confidence in herself either. That little thing inside that insisted that you could have anything you wanted, even if it didn't want you back.

"I'm so sorry she did that to you," Bella finally said. And really, what  _could_  she say to something so crazy? ' _My cousin is a suicidal lunatic_ ' didn't quite cut it.

"Not your fault," he rumbled against her neck. "Thought I could just avoid the little witch."

_So he had noticed after all._

He'd done such a good job at avoiding the little troublemaker that Bella had honestly wondered if he'd even noticed the attention in the first place. That he had gone out of his way to not make a scene touched her, because she knew that left to his own devices, he'd have cowed Ellie within the first few hours of meeting her.

"What happened to the comforter," Bella wondered out loud, earning a faint smirk from Paul.

"I carried her downstairs wrapped in it, then dumped her on the ground in front of everyone."

Horrified laughter escaped Bella in little snorts, then became full blown chortling. She could feel Paul begin shaking in silent mirth against her and somehow it only served to make her laugh all the harder. Maybe it was simply relief from the strain of before, or maybe it was something like hysteria. Or maybe it was even genuine humor, but it felt so good to laugh that she didn't even care that it was at her cousin's expense. "I would have paid money to see the look on her face when you dropped her," she gasped, trying to pull in air around the giggles.

"She got grounded. Got  _everything_  taken away. They didn't even  _begin_  to believe her," he murmured wonderingly as he stood with her in his arms, then let her down where Bella wrapped her own arms about herself to get her breathing back under control.

"Oh man," she finally gasped. "I really needed that."

Reaching up, she sobered as she brushed the backs of her fingers down his cheek. "You okay?"

"Will be." He said, the pale blue luminosity of his eyes even brighter in the glow of moonlight cast from the window.

"Good. You ready to get to bed?"

Paul curled his lip as he took in the sight of the unmade bed. "Still reeks of her," he growled softly, yanking the bottom sheet completely off the bed and hurling into the bathroom where it sank into the tub.

Bella opened the closet, hoping her mother had left a spare set of bedding, and was incredibly thankful when she found it. She wasn't about to argue the point, because she could easily see just how agitated the thought of sleeping on the same bedding that Ellie had lain upon had him.

Balling up the pillowcases, she tossed them in with the sheet then began to remake the bed with the clean sheets. Paul watched her for only a moment before he joined in, now seemingly much more relaxed with the scent of her cousin further away from him. Bella honestly couldn't blame him for his reaction. After all, the girl had tried to accuse him of sexual assault to cover her own manipulative nature.

Bella was still more than a little pissed about it, despite having laughed about the situation. Paul already had a bad reputation amongst the Forks PD for being a drunk and a brawler amongst other things. Adding sex offender and pedophile to his list of predilections would have made him a target for every law enforcement officer worth the name in their small town.

She honestly wasn't sure she could forgive the girl for the attempt, and not even because it was Paul, but for the very fact that she had  _tried_  such a thing to save her own ass. It wasn't like all of her other lies where, yeah, people had gotten hurt, but no one had gotten into legal trouble. She shuddered to think of what might have happened if John or Stacey had allowed the younger girl to get away with her lie, or even worse,  _believed her._

She knew that Ellie got away with murder because she was her parent's miracle-baby. Stacey had had a difficult time getting pregnant and  _staying_ pregnant due to a nightmare case of polycystic ovarian syndrome, and as a result, Ellie had been spoiled to within an inch of her young life.

Bella strongly suspected that this night would prove to be an eye-opener to the couple. Ellie had already found her freedom and privileges severely curtailed from what Paul had said, and Bella was hopeful that this was not simply a fluke. That her parents would finally knuckle down on the girl and treat her less like some kind of precious wonder simply for existing.

Finishing the bed, Bella waited while Paul pulled his shirt off and sat on the edge to remove his boots and socks. Then he crawled up the bed and lay next to her. But he seemed restless, turning one way, then another before punching his pillow with an agitated growl.

Bella watched him with sympathy. She knew he wouldn't want to go back downstairs for a glass of warm cocoa. Drugging him with codeine would serve no purpose, because he'd just burn it off before it could begin to affect him. A warm bath was out of the picture now.

Placing a hand on his back, Bella gently kneaded the much-too-tight cords in his neck with the other before a better idea occurred to her. Placing both hands flat, she gently urged him to lie flat on his stomach and climbed up to straddle his hips. She may not have any special training with massage, but it couldn't do any harm to try.

He was stiff under her at first, hands fisted beside his head as if unsure what to do with himself. Every muscle that made up the wide expanse of his back was tense and so Bella set herself to reassuring him. Leaning forward to give herself more leverage, she began slowly working her way from the top of his shoulders all the way down to the base of his spine, then back up again. She dug her fingers into the tight muscles of his neck, refusing to give up until they relaxed under her touch.

The rest of him quickly followed and he relaxed completely under her with a soft groan.

She hugged him by gently squeezing her thighs against his ultra-warm body as she continued to work, smiling as his eyes closed and he allowed the tension to seep from him.

"Better?" Bella murmured quietly.

His answer was a low, animal rumble of pleasure that made her blush as he stretched out under her before seeming to melt into the bed's surface. She laughed quietly to cover her embarrassment and dug the heels of her palms into the small of his back, savoring the feel of his satin skin under her hands.

She loved that she could do that for him. Loved that he was so at ease and trusting of her. She knew it wasn't second nature to him to lie passive while someone straddled him, because it would have felt far too much like an attempted domination by a weaker Wolf. That he had allowed it anyway was special to her, because it allowed her to attempt to help him. She loved when he bent to her and let her have her way.

She loved _him._

She bit her lip and forced the thought away. Because she had this sudden terrifying insight that she might love him as more than a friend, this male who would not return the sentiment. That he might not actually be capable of forming romantic attachments was a frightening and utterly heartbreaking thought, and not just for selfish desires. It must have been so lonely for him before he decided that he would take her into his affections, as platonically warped as they might be.

That he might break her heart in the end seemed likely, but she knew she would subsist on what he  _could_  give her because it beat the alternative…losing him completely.

Much later, long after he'd finally flipped them back over and wrapped himself around her before he fell into a deep slumber, she lay in the darkness in a sort of thoughtful daze, fingers brushing absently over the arm that held her just a bit tighter than normal.

She'd never allowed herself to think of him as anything more than a friend. Was halfway certain that even  _allowing_  herself to acknowledge her love for him was a tremendously bad idea. Allowing herself to love someone who didn't know how to love in return was as scary as it was painful. Besides, it had just about crushed her when she'd thought she'd disappointed him. How much worse would it be if she ever truly lost him? She didn't want to know. Because if he ever found out that her feelings were not what he thought they were, she  _would_ lose him.

So she buried her feelings inside the depths of her heart where they couldn't betray her.

Closing her eyes, Bella willed herself to sleep and prayed she didn't dream of what she couldn't have.


	21. Under Pressure - David Bowie

Bella had awoken the day after Ellie's last scheme had borne such bitter fruit to the quiet moments of predawn.

Her conscious mind was a winding blur of thoughts and emotions, spinning through her grasp at the speed of light. Just like in her dreams where memory and feeling were tangible and silvery, cold things that slipped away even as she chased after them. Chased them through ghostly trees and mists that her eyes could never hope to penetrate.

Leaving her barren and forlorn. Lost. Until warmth and comfort edged into the peripheries of her awareness as she wandered through the fog. Peace wrapped around her and Bella clung to it tightly, wrapped herself around it in return. Arms wound around it as securely as she could manage, legs locked around it just as tightly, she found herself being turned and for a moment, she had panicked, because she thought she felt her peace shifting away from her. But then it twisted under her desperately grasping hands and moved closer until she was able to completely wrap herself around it.

It wasn't like the glimmering wisps that escaped her no matter how close she came to catching them. This was heat and strength and solidity that didn't leave her when she needed it. Didn't abandon her like others she refused to mention here in this dream world for fear of their reappearance. She could never understand the lure of the wisps, but it never stopped her from trying her utmost to keep up with them. She could hardly breathe here in the miasma, as if it were bearing down on her body and weighing her down.

But the presence didn't withdraw from her and finally she felt safe enough to wrap her own arms about her chest. Trying to block the soul-sucking wound the wisps inflicted that had suddenly reappeared after so long an absence. The wound was cold and fought against the heat of her peace, but it was no match for it. It slowly shrank, warming gradually until it was nothing more than a faint frigid presence.

It was the soft rumble of a familiar male voice that finally dragged her out of her nightmarish dreamscape.

Her eyes snapped open even as she gasped, deep and desperate like a diver just breaking the surface.

"Hey, now.  _There_  you are," Paul murmured quietly. The familiar rasp of it drew her attention and she flung herself at him, clinging with all shaky her might to the Were as if he could save her from her own stupid imagination. He carefully shifted them so that he was leaning against the headboard, Bella cradled against his chest as she lay across his lap. His hands smoothed down her back, over her hip and down her thigh to her knee in a repetitive caress that gradually soothed the trembling.

Warmth followed in its wake, chasing away the chills and lingering dread. Slowly, Bella's breathing finally came under control and she heaved a slow sigh as she tucked her head under the Were's chin.

"Nightmare?" Paul's eyes shimmered faintly in the shadows. It wasn't so much a question as it was a prompting to speak.

"I hate that stupid fucking dream." She also loathed the tight, breathy edge of fear in her voice. Even more that she'd had that damned dream again after months of thinking she was free of it. Paul's near break with humanity must have stressed her out much more than she had realized, but she wouldn't have traded his presence for anything right then, because no one else had ever been able to bring her out of that damned repetitive nightmare with such ease before. Not even Sam, who had dragged her into a painfully cold shower to shock her into wakefulness.

"Need to talk about it?"

Bella shrugged, eyes downcast as a touch of shame wound its way through her. "Not much to tell. It's the same dream I used to have for the first few months after I met Sam. I run through the woods chasing things I can't ever catch, all the while wondering where the hell I am and why the hell I'm trying to chase them in the first place. And I feel so empty, like what I'm chasing is slowly hollowing me out…killing me."

Paul tightened his grip on her, cheek pressed against the top of her head. "Sounds suicidal."

She was quiet for a few moments, mulling the insight over. She'd never thought about it from that angle before. And she supposed that it actually  _did_  sound that way, chasing things that were slowly killing her. But she supposed that theory might explain Sam's insistence on keeping her so close those first few months. It would also explain Embry's need to be in constant contact after she'd finally confessed to feeling so…hollow. "Maybe I was," she finally admitted. She had hurt so much in those first couple of weeks before Sam had come back to her. Charlie had been at a loss as to how to help her. And she had just wanted to disappear into the pain and cease to exist.

But then had come Sam. And Embry. And Jacob. The Pack. They had dragged her out of the place from where Edward had shredded and buried her very soul in the frozen ground.

She tilted her head back to look him in the eyes, wanting to make certain that he saw the truth in her own. "But not anymore."

Paul cocked his head. "What changed?"

"Everything. I lost an entire way of life in one night. Had my heart ripped open and danced upon. I wasn't really living while I was around the Cullens…simply passing time till I could convince Edward to change me."

She could feel the low growl that vibrated in his chest and didn't blame him in the slightest. His kind were made to hunt and kill what she had so desperately wanted to become. She couldn't imagine how it might have felt to be run down and hunted by the very Pack that she adored. That she would have been ripped apart by  _Paul_. The very thought made her sick, because she would have given away her human life for some stupid asshole who would never truly grow up and never, ever deserve her.

Edward had been right in that respect. He  _wasn't_  worth dying for.

"You know I hated you for that?" His voice was low, almost bitter as if disliking the very taste of the words in his own mouth. She could feel the tension rippling through his entire body.

Bella turned in his arms, sitting up to face him properly. Her expression was sad as she stroked her fingers across the tendons flexing across his forearm. "I know. Sam told me," she finally said quietly. She'd been horribly hurt by it at first, because she'd barely known him at that point. But looking back, she had already been far too drawn to him to let go of the chance he had so generously given her, despite his feelings to the contrary. She had even understood why he might feel that way. He didn't know her from anything other than stories and Pack-memory and from the outside, she supposed she  _had_ looked like a brainless little twit trying to stick her head in the lion's mouth while daring it not to bite her. "I don't even blame you for hating me.  _I_ hated me, too, for the longest time."

His brows lowered, pale eyes narrowing on her face. "Your depression?"

She reached up and brushed back the stray locks of hair that had dipped into his gaze, smiling gently as he nuzzled into her hand. "Yeah. I know now that it probably had a lot to do with the lingering effects of the Vampire's natural allure. Their scents are… _addictive_ from what I understand. So it would have been like detoxing off a drug-addiction and going cold turkey. And I was hurt that people who claimed to love me like I was one of their own, just dropped me like I was so much trash. And Edward…Edward told me that he was…that  _I_ was-"

She was silenced by the gentle press of his lips to her cheek, a soft, barely-there brush that was simple affection and comfort. "Whatever he said to you, he was full of shit."

Bella smiled again, because it was kind of nice that he had taken her side without a recap of what Edward had said to her. It still kind of hurt, even if most of it wasn't true. Just because she was human didn't make her mind a sieve. He wasn't all so perfect himself, despite what she had thought at the time. Time had given her perspective, along with the way her Pack treated her. Because if Leah and  _Paul_ of all people could like her, then she wasn't as disposable as the Vampire had stated. Bella also suspected that he had cut her off because  _hearing_ what the self-righteous little prick had actually said to her just might piss him right the fuck off and that was the last thing that either of them needed right now.

"You know, it wasn't all bad. There were times with the family that I will miss." She knew she was taking a chance even hinting that she missed the Cullens, but she couldn't do them the disservice of lying about her affection for them. She still missed most of them…even the beautiful but cool Rosalie. Edward, on the other hand, she could do without. Preferably for the rest of her life.

"And that redheaded bitch that's following you? How does she play into the scenario?"

"Sam didn't tell you?"

"Never asked before."

"We were out playing a game of baseball. Yeah, I know," she chuckled to herself at the look of disbelief that crossed his face. "Vampires playing ball, who would have thought, right? Anyway we were playing when a trio of nomads came upon us. James, their coven leader, decided that I would make good hunting after Edward betrayed his emotions to them. If he had just kept his cool and claimed I was a pet instead of something more, we might have been fine." She frowned, replaying Edward's naïve actions that had changed so much in her life. She'd been broken, then painstakingly repaired. She'd nearly lost Charlie due to her own need to protect him. She had a scar on her wrist that she pretended didn't exist because it reminded her far too much that she'd almost  _willingly_  thrown her own life away.

"Anyway," she continued. "Emmett and Jasper took care of him. Burned him into ashes. I think Jasper even danced in them. Later, Embry ripped off Laurent's head…leaving James' mate to hunt me on her own. From what I can understand, mating bonds in vampires are every bit as strong as an Imprinting is for a Wolf. At least I  _think_ it might be, you'd have to ask Jasper if you wanted to know for sure."

"He was the empathic Vamp?"

"Yeah. Jasper Hale. Quiet but intense and always in the background. Edward always kept him away from me. Said he was having trouble acclimating to the animal diet, but I really don't know if I believe it anymore. Jasper was fond of making me laugh, even from across the room. He later said that…I was worth it. Worth all the trouble they got into over me."

"Sounds like he and I might actually have gotten along. You are worth it."

Bella grinned. That was the first time that any Wolf had actually admitted to such a thing and it was precious to her because of her abiding love for the family, despite their abandonment. She refused to think of how teary his following statement made her, because she didn't want to turn into a puddle of Bella-mush right now. "I think you might have," she continued, surreptitiously wiping away the moisture that threatened to escape her eyes as she glanced out the window.

But he wasn't to be dissuaded, apparently, because he hooked a finger under her chin and turned her back to face him. She widened her eyes to try and force away the wateriness and was dismayed when a drop escaped that he swiped away with his thumb. "Look at me," he insisted quietly, waiting till she had looked at him to continue. "You are worth it. Worth the time and effort it takes to keep you safe. Yeah, you have funny taste in friends, me included. Your chosen family is composed of a pack of Werewolves that you love without reservation and ask for nothing in return, so don't you dare think you aren't worth their love. You are all the family some of them currently have. You were easily worth the effort of getting to know you, which I couldn't have done if you were killed off by the undead ginger. You are worth caring  _for_. You are worth  _all of it_ , girl," he rumbled in a voice like distant thunder as he drove home his point.

For someone who wasn't much of a talker, he sure did a damned good job of knowing which words needed to be heard. Bella sniffled a bit, but nodded in answer because she felt a little too stripped bare emotionally to come up with any kind of verbal response.

Then she was saved from the seriousness of the moment by a quiet knock at the door.

"Bella?" The quiet, muffled voice of her Aunt Stacey filtered through the door. "Are you up, honey?"

Lifting her brows in surprise, Bella hastily wiped away the remainder of her tears, then got up to answer the door. Poking her head out, she was greeted by the sight of not only her aunt but Uncle John as well. Seeing the intent look on the former's face, Bella stepped through the door, and had intended to close it, but her uncle stopped her. "This pertains to your friend, too, if he's awake?"

Bella  _felt_ more than heard Paul approach them, one heavy arm coming down to wrap across the front of her shoulders. "What's up," Bella asked a bit hesitantly. If they were going to have second thoughts about Ellie's accusation, she didn't know what she was going to do. The family had been expected to stay for the rest of the day and things would already be awkward as it was with Ellie about. Ellie tended to get away with  _everything_ and lying was just the tip of the iceberg, but-

"We just wanted to talk to you before we left. We…well…I don't even know where to really begin," Stacey said hesitantly. She twisted her hands together, much like Bella did when nervous or just plain agitated.

John laid a comforting hand against his wife's back. "What we meant to say is that we cannot express to you just how  _sorry_ we are for what Ellie did last night. To  _both_  of you. I know that she's always felt competitive with you, Bella, though you've given her no reason to feel that way. But that didn't give her any right to invade your space and…well, what she attempted was not something I ever thought she was capable of," he ended a bit awkwardly.

Bella reached back and fisted her hands into the denim covering Paul's thighs, unsure of what exactly she should be saying.

"Oh, honey," Stacey said, apparently reading her expression like a book. "There is nothing you need  _to_ say. This is not your fault,  _either_ of you! Especially you, Paul. I don't even know where to begin in both apologizing and, well,  _thanking you_  to be honest."

Paul was watching the older couple silently, a thoughtful expression on his face. And Stacey realized that this was the very first time she had actually seen the young man without his sunglasses. His eyes were a peculiar shade of icy blue, pale and just a bit  _chilling_.

Mentally shaking her head at her own whimsy, Stacey continued. "I know there is nothing I can say to excuse what Ellie did last night, or what she accused you of. I just wanted you to know that we  _both_ understood the gravity of it and are taking steps to make certain that  _she_ understands it as well. And…that we are actually grateful for the way you handled it, Paul. Maybe the embarrassment will teach her a much needed lesson."

"I know we had planned to stay till after dinner, but we feel that we should go ahead and start driving home. Ellie's punishment is already underway and will be easier to enforce away from the rest of the family."

Bella honestly felt bad for the couple, even though she knew that Ellie had been coddled for far too long. It could have gone so much worse than it had…

Inwardly shuddering and thanking God for Paul's restraint and supernatural senses, Bella stepped away from Paul and gently hugged her miserable looking aunt and uncle. They both seemed relieved that she wasn't going to spurn them for what Ellie had done, thanking her again, John reaching out to shake Paul's hand, which Paul allowed. Then the couple turned and went back down the hall and down the stairs where Ellie was apparently waiting, already packed and ready to go.

Bella turned back to Paul as he led the way into the bedroom. His lips were tipped up in wry amusement as he stepped towards his bag, and Bella wondered at his expression as he went about pulling out clothing for the day. His movements were as smooth and graceful as ever as he bundled everything together and moved towards the shower, so he wasn't angry. It was as he was opening the door that Bella finally hazarded a guess. "You don't think they got it, do you?" she surmised.

He paused, hand on the knob as he turned to face her. "I think that they have a long way to go before they truly understand just how messed up their kid  _really_ is."

Bella quietly sighed, digesting this new bit of wisdom. Paul tended to have insight into the oddest places, and he was invariably right when he bothered to share. "You think they're up for it?" she hesitantly asked.

He shrugged. "Don't know them well enough. But instinct says they aren't ready for the fight they're about to have on their hands. That girl is headstrong and seriously fucked up to be thinking she could get away with what she tried. I could have been the asshole who went along with it. Never mind what she claimed happened."

Yeah…it  _had_  been pretty fucked up, to be honest. Because if Paul had been the kind of creeper to have gone along with it, then what did that say about the type of man that Ellie was attracted to?

Bella scowled at the thought, because even as angry as she was with Ellie, she knew it took more than overly indulgent parents to have gotten the girl to where she currently stood. She distantly registered the sound of the door shutting as Paul went into the bathroom to go take his morning shower, far too focused on the current issue. She kind of wanted to discuss it with her mother, actually, because upon further thought, the whole thing reeked of problems she hoped had never occurred. The kind that involved full grown men taking advantage of a young girl who thought only of how cute that man might be and not of how illegal their age difference might make the whole situation.

…or maybe she was just buying trouble, Bella finally thought with a wince. After all, she had no proof of any wrongdoing and no name to attach it to even if she had said proof. Shaking her head, she went to her own bag and pulled out clothing for the day, unknowingly mirroring her roommate as she pulled out a pair of well-worn jeans and a dark grey v-necked t-shirt. She pondered a bit longer before resolving to speak to her mother about her fears later, quietly where there was no one to hear and accidentally start the spread of rumors.

Paul emerged seconds later, hair wet as he wrapped the towel around his head and vigorously set to drying it. Bella smiled as she wandered over with the brush. "Looks like I need to trim you again," she murmured as she pulled out the chair from the desk, waiting till he had wandered over to sit at her feet. She ran her fingers through his damp hair, feeling more like cool wet satin than anything else as he rumbled a quiet purr.

"It can go a few more days," he returned. Bella tended to like keeping him neatly trimmed, running the clippers over him every ten to twelve days or so. His hair just seemed to grow so fast, anything less would leave him looking a bit shaggy in her opinion. When asked, he'd shrugged and told her it had always been that way. It was why he tended to wear it long, because such swift growth could easily be dismissed when it was all so long. Bella had winced, then apologized for giving him a haircut that needed so much maintenance, but he'd just shrugged and said he didn't mind. She'd maintained it for him ever since, deciding it was a small price to pay to get her hands on his hair, because she loved playing with it.

Patting his back, she scooted her chair backwards and stood with a stretch and a good yawn before scooping up her clothes and stepping away and towards the shower. Rushing through it, she was relieved to find that it woke her up a bit, something she had needed after her abbreviated slumber the night before. She just hoped that that had been the end of  _that_ particular nightmare again for a while. It always made her feel so pathetic afterwards, because even she could see the symbolism behind the damned thing. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure things out.

Bella was dressed and running the brush through her hair when she realized that it was now longer that it should have been yet again. She'd completely spaced out on asking Emily about the unnatural growth and resolved to make a note to remind herself again, because apparently just trying to make a mental note wasn't quite good enough. In fact, it was  _just_ long enough to French braid it. Unfortunately, her fingers were clumsy from being out of practice these last few months and she was just cursing and restarting when Paul gently brushed her fingers away. "Let me try," he said quietly.

Bella blinked, but shrugged and let him. After all, what possible harm could it do? He brushed through it a few times as if getting a feel for the fine, slick texture of her thick wet hair, before he tilted her head forward and sectioned off a bit. She almost thought to try and give him instructions, but bit her tongue and just let him do as he liked. But of course, as unfairness would have it, it didn't take him long to work out what to do and then his long fingers were easing through her hair and weaving it at a phenomenal rate of speed. Not much later, he was reaching for the band that Bella handed him over her shoulder

She crossed over to the mirror and glanced at the finished work, braided neat and smooth against her head. Turning to look at his reflection, she lifted a brow. "Okay. How did you possibly…?"

His lips curved upwards minutely. "Pack memory."

That…actually made a bit of sense. "Leah?"

"And Jared. And surprisingly, Quil."

Bella snorted in amusement. "Let me guess. He thought it would be a great way to get to know girls?"

"Well, he put in the time. Now, he's the only other male Emily will let touch her hair besides Sam because of his steady hand with a pair of scissors."

"He where you learned to cut it?"

"Nah. That was Kell. He bartends at The Haven and moonlights as a hair dresser occasionally. Used to cut my hair and babbles like a teenage girl when the mood strikes him. Said you did a good job, by the way," Paul said with a slow wink that made Bella blush with two parts pride and one part shameful thrill.

He was so pretty when he was artlessly flirting, making it all the harder to ignore it when he did so, because she knew better than to take it seriously. He didn't mean anything by it, and she would do well to remember that. Didn't mean it didn't give her shivers when he did it, however, because even being in the same room with him could make her heart pound. It was like being on a roller coaster and coming up to that very first and most terrifying drop, the one just before the world disappeared out from under you leaving you screaming out into nothingness.

A part of her still could hardly believe that someone like him wanted to be friends with someone like her.

But it didn't feel anything like in the past with Edward. Paul never went out of his way to make her feel small and helpless. Never used his supernatural perfection to purposefully make her feel plain and unworthy. It wasn't his fault that her ex, the glitter-prick, had done his level best to make her feel like absolute shit, all the while talking a pretty game about how special she was.

It could leave any normal girl with a complex…and it had.

She had felt sub-human for the longest time, like she was somehow less than even the most average girl in looks and personality. She wasn't smart enough to make her own decisions or even to choose what to eat, because Edward had begun to make even those decisions for her towards the end. What to wear…because Edward had been interfering there as well.

She was startled out of her musings by the feel of his fingers dancing down her spine, leaving sparks of sensation in their wake. She realized that the knocking at the door that she had missed while woolgathering was steadily growing louder as if the person at the door were trying to gently wake the occupants.

"Yeah?" she called.

"Bella?" Her mother's voice was quiet as it filtered through the door. "You both up?"

Bella opened the door to show that both of them were up and ready for the day. "What's up?"

"Your grandparents are about to hit the road back to Miami and wanted to see if you were available to come down and see them off."

Bella followed her mother from the room with a smile, Paul stalking along behind her like a silent, graceful shadow.

Down the stairs, Isabell and Henry stood in the entryway, smiling as the trio came into sight. "Bella!" Isabell called up. "We weren't sure you'd be up yet."

"Yeah, I had a funky dream and woke up early. Unfortunately I managed to wake Paul up as well and so we decided to get an early start on the day," Bella glossed over. She refused to even mention just how bad the dream made her feel, because it still made her feel weak and pitiful and that was the last thing she wanted to be sharing with anyone.

_It was bad enough that Paul had to witness it._

Pasting a pleasant smile on her face to cover any possible lingering traces of dismay that might have been left over from earlier, Bella hurried forward to hug first her grandmother and then her grandfather in quick succession. "It was wonderful to see you," Bella said as she pressed a kiss to Henry's cheek, smiling a bit more genuinely in response to the expression on the older man's face. "Both of you!"

"Hopefully it won't be so long, next time," Henry murmured, taking in the beautiful face of his favorite granddaughter. He was glad that his wife and daughter had helped to pry his head out of his backside in regards to the young man seemingly content to stay in the background.

After witnessing how he had handled Ellie's attempts to get into his pants, Henry had had to further revise his opinion on Bella's Paul. He might not have wished the younger girl to be publicly embarrassed the way she had been, but the very fact that Paul so obviously hadn't even been tempted…he'd been close enough to overhear what the young man had said to the girl…had done a lot towards making him actually  _believe_ that Bella's friend might actually be on the up and up.

The only thing he still couldn't explain was the strange aura of impending danger that had surrounded the young man as he'd stepped from the room. It was like an unnatural chill that followed in his wake, and Henry had actually shivered as it danced across his skin. He'd almost gotten up to follow, because Paul had obviously been on edge. But Renée had placed a hand on his arm with a shake of her head, and Henry had heeded her. He'd remained uneasy until the distinct lack of shouting had reached him…he hadn't taken out his frustrations with Bella, despite the tension that had coiled in his massive form. He had realized, then, that Ellie had likely gotten off easy compared to others who might have intruded past the young man's barriers. Because Renée had finally pulled him aside and explained the strange hands-off nature that even Henry had noticed.

It was a given that Henry felt badly for the Paul. It had bought greater a measure of understanding from the older man, and a great deal of respect because it hadn't been Ellie herself that Paul had lashed out at, simply her pride that had been torn to shreds. That respect had him hesitate for a moment, but in the end he offered his hand, this time honestly, and was pleased when the taller man reached forward and gave him the same courtesy in return. A polite bow of his head was offered to Isabell and returned with a smile.

Isabell genuinely liked the tall, handsome young man. She hadn't thought she would due to circumstances, but he had quietly and subtly charmed his way past her defenses. She hadn't even taken issue with how he had dealt with her granddaughter because he had quite possibly taught her a valuable life lesson. She  _couldn't_ have everything she wanted, and things might turn ugly if your greed exceeded your sense.

Ellie had looked thoroughly mortified as she had sat at the breakfast table for a quick bite to eat before her family had departed early that morning. A look that Isabell could never remember ever having taken up residence on the girl's face before, she wouldn't look anyone in the face, especially her father. For his own part, John couldn't look at his own daughter without his own expression turning to shame. He had let her get away with absolute murder for her entire life and had had it forcefully shoved into his face just how far Ellie had fallen. She had only enough shame to feel embarrassed about being naked in front of her family and no more.

But now, is seemed apparent that she was about to  _learn_.

Embracing Bella one last time, the elder couple took their leave with a promise of a call at least once a month.

}:{

The days passed much more quietly after Ellie was gone; even the little ones were more subdued. The parents had all agreed that none of the kids, beyond those directly involved, should be told about what had happened. Gareth had caught the tail end of the show, having been downstairs studying. Paul had been in the kitchen helping Isabell clean up, so he'd had knowledge of where half the players in the little melodrama had been. He'd waved goodnight to Paul as he'd left the room, then gotten up himself to go wish his parents a good night. Then, scant moments after he'd pressed a kiss to his mother's cheek, Paul had come storming back into the living room. He had turned just in time to watch Ellie come tumbling down off Paul's shoulder directly onto her ass.

Her accusation had been an absolute shock, mostly because anyone with eyes could tell the man had zero interest in her. In fact, he'd made it damned easy on the boys in their efforts to keep the two far away from each other. So easy, in fact, that for a while he'd been convinced that Paul'd actually never noticed his little hanger-on. But the 'subtle avoidances' happened far too many times for it to be coincidence. He was simply always where she was  _not_ , unless Bella happened to be involved.

That was when Gareth realized that the big man was far more subtle than most of them had realized.

He'd debated on whether or not to share his observation with the others, but in the end decided it was better to keep it to himself. Funnier, too, because watching Ellie pout and carry on was a riot.

Until she'd gone much too far.

Even he had been horrified at the words that had come out of his cousin's mouth. Lie after filthy lie. Granted he was used to hearing lies from the girl…she got away with it because her parents, especially her father, let her get away with everything because she was their only baby. She wasn't very well liked amongst her cousins and bemusedly tolerated by her aunts and uncles. Her grandparents despaired of her and had tried for years to talk sense into John and Stacey who had both insisted that it was just a phase.

But it was never ending.

But he noticed that with her little lying majesty gone home, Bella was a lot more relaxed. Things might have been quieter, but Bella looked as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She smiled more readily. More honestly. Paul also seemed a bit more genuinely relaxed. The understated tension that Gareth had only just begun to notice dissipated, his smiles less predatory and more pleasant.

He was just beginning to enjoy his stay again when, sadly, it came time to go home. He'd watched as much of the family had slowly dwindled away over the following days. Most of his time this trip had been taken up by studying, but he'd taken breaks here and there to visit with people whenever he felt he could justify it.

And he'd taken a time or two to try and chat with Paul.

It was funny, because for as much space as the man occupied physically, he took up next to none in a conversation. He communicated mostly through facial expressions and the occasional shrug. Words were hard to drag from him and though Gareth had to admit to a feeling of success when he managed to get Paul to respond in complete sentences, it left him more curious about the other man then put off by the silence.

But he was also quick to note the physical standoffishness and respond respectfully. His college major, as it just so happened be, was psychology. His own observations, colored by such a direction of study, had left him with a bit more insight into Paul than most of his fellow family members. And to his sadness, he could see a number of markers that indicated previous abuse. Paul handled himself quite well despite them, however. Never jumping on anyone who accidentally invaded the space he had designated his own. Especially in regards to Matthew.

Paul seemed to have developed a soft spot for the little boy that seemingly surprised even Bella; not that she didn't seem delighted by the outcome. Her eyes had actually lit up when she had walked into the kitchen to see Matthew sitting on the countertop directing while Paul put a pair of sandwiches together for the both of them.

Gareth surmised that Paul's probable abuse at an early age likely insulated Matthew from any reprisal to his touching the tall man. The shy boy and the quiet man had both looked up as Bella had approached, before Matthew had silently offered his own sandwich to the girl. Bella had smiled and shook her head no, declaring she could make her own. Paul had just smirked before turning and pulling down a third plate, starting a sandwich for the girl.

It was the tiny, considerate things like that that told more about Paul than any conversation could.

And it gave Gareth hope for Bella's sake.

}:{

Bella yawned as she leaned into Paul. Rose and Gareth, along with their parents, had just left and while she loved them, she couldn't help but be a bit grateful. She was starting to feel a bit drained.

She missed her quieter life in Forks. Almost two years ago, she would never have believed she would take a life in Forks over a life with her mother, despite the choice she'd made to leave to give Renée more time with her new husband.

At first, she'd been a bit unsettled. Too much rain, too few people, and way too much attention, all focused on her.

It was strange, but getting to know the Cullens had insulated her further from wanting to involve herself in the goings on of her new hometown. She had managed to alienate everyone but Angela, and that was simply because Angela was far more stubborn than the average bear.

She was ashamed to wonder if she would have gotten her head out of her ass if Edward and rest of the Cullens hadn't of jumped ship…

It had only done her good, because her relationship with the Vampires had long since crossed the border into unhealthy territory.

Then had come the Wolves…and Bella had been dragged kicking and screaming into their little family. She'd had to learn what a healthy relationship looked like and to do things for herself again. She'd been encouraged by someone who knew what it felt like to have a far more honest relationship with her father and now, while she loved her mother, she was far closer to Charlie. Though, it could also be that the two were very similar in temperament.

Now, she couldn't imagine wanting any other way of life. Sam was a wonderful brother, as were Embry and Jared. Jacob had been as well, until he had flipped a bitch and lost it. And while she would always love her human family, her father and her Wolf-boys had taken the lion's share of her heart.

_Especially Paul._

She didn't know how he'd done it, but he'd become the dearest to her in a short amount of time. She didn't go more than two days without at least talking to him, and it was a two-way street, because if she didn't call him, then he would actually call her. It felt… _nice_ …to know that she wasn't the only one putting forth the effort in their relationship unlike a lot of her previous friendships. In fact, most times,  _she_ was the one calling Jacob to check in with him before Paul came along.

"Bella!" Renée called out from the entranceway.

Bella turned and lifted a brow in question.

"We're getting ready to go to the ballpark. You sure you don't want to come with us?"

Phil had been oddly insistent on getting the pair out to the stadium to swing at a few balls. Bella had been in years previous and had done far better than had been expected given her size…she wasn't exactly musclebound. So the target must be Paul.

But the two had discussed it. Paul had gotten away with playing during the water-fight because  _there_ everyone had been playing at once and not paying attention to how hard or fast a water-bomb came flying at them when he hit them. They got wet all the same.

In a place where people  _would_  be paying attention to such things, indeed were  _paid_ to scout for the next big thing, if Paul misjudged even once and hit the ball too hard, it would give away everything. He also couldn't just the damned ball a love tap, because they would all be watching, and an experienced player would know when someone wasn't consistently giving their all in a swing. Besides,  _no one_  would believe someone of Paul's general athleticism would be anything less than a power-hitter.

"Think we're gonna take a nap, Mom. But thanks anyway," Bella answered as she and the Were passed her by on their way into the house.

She hated to see Phil's shoulders slump dejectedly, but there was little she could do without giving away secrets that were not her own. Outing the supernatural in such a public way would be a bad idea, and no one with an ounce of intelligence would ever believe that Paul was simply a singular freak of nature. Especially after they got a good look at the people he tended to hang out with, because the shortest of them was a female pushing six-foot-two and all of them looking like the most perfect of fitness models.

"Okay honey," Renée said with a smile. "We should be back by dinnertime and we'll pick up takeout on the way back. Any preferences?"

Bella pondered for a moment, then remembered. "You guys have Whataburger here, don't you?"

"Certainly," Renée returned, laughing at the greedy gleam in her daughter's eyes. "The usual?"

"Yes please! They don't have them in Washington," Bella said with a mock-pout. She turned to Paul. "Any requests?"

He cocked his head. "Double bacon cheese?"

"Five combos?" she asked. "They do yummy fries, too."

"Sounds good," he replied. "Let me go get my wallet."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Renée hurried to stop him. "We gotcha covered."

Paul lifted a brow as if not certain he should let them.

"Really," Bella said in a stage whisper. "She won't take your money."

He chuckled, shaking his head in reluctant assent.

}:{

Things had been mellow for the rest of the evening, for which Bella had been thankful for. Matthew, along with his brothers and parents had piled into the car after dinner to begin their trip back home. But not before Matt had run up to Paul and wrapped his arms around his legs. The two actually got along and it tickled Bella to death, especially when Paul bent and lifted the little boy to hug him properly. Matt had flushed with pleasure, because it seemed he instinctively knew that he was being afforded a privilege that precious few could ever claim. And being hugged by what he considered to be a real-life superhero could only be pure awesomeness!

Unfortunately, Bella didn't rest well that night. The knowledge that she would be flying out the next morning was stressing her out. She had rolled around for a while, punched her pillow a few times, and then rolled around some more. God, she hated flying! She just couldn't bring herself to trust a flying metal egg no matter how many safety checks it passed. Didn't mean she wouldn't use it, because she didn't fancy  _driving_ cross country to get home for the time it would take.

Eventually, Paul had simply wrapped himself around the girl and forced her to lie still. His hands had smoothed down her back in a repetitive stroke that, along with the forced immobility, finally lulled her into a semblance of restfulness that eventually became the real thing, and she dropped off. Luckily no replay of The Nightmare, but she was restless in a way that she hadn't been in her sleep in a long while.

The next day on the way to the airport, Bella fidgeted anxiously in the back of the Suburban as they made their way to JAX. Paul had let her sleep in just enough that she had had to rush getting ready. Though later she would admit that it was a good thing, because it gave her less time to worry about the coming flight. She had run madly out of the house on two wheels just in time to watch Paul tossing their bags into the back of the SUV, hair still damp and wildly curling.

He'd smirked and tugged a curl before climbing into the back seat. Bella had climbed in after him, leaning sideways against his chest after she'd buckled her seatbelt. He'd just chuckled quietly, shifting slightly to make her more comfortable. The ride didn't take all that long.

Then Bella was hugging people goodbye and she and Paul were striding into the airport. Bags were checked. Gates were found. And then Bella was sitting in a tiny airplane seat next to Paul, whose knees were smashed into the back of the window seat in front of him. He just shrugged and said at least it wasn't the aisle seat, because already the flight attendant had tried to shove her tits in Paul's direction resulting in Bella's face-full of boob whenever the woman walked by. The redhead had faked bashfulness, but the lack of a blush had given her away, as had the sly tilt of her eyes.

At first, Bella had been willing to let it go because she knew damned well just how pretty Paul was. Paul seemed oblivious and as the woman couldn't really reach him to touch him without being too obvious, Bella actually thought that she would give up. But she couldn't have been more wrong as the woman knelt on the seat next to Bella and reached to lower the shade by Paul's head on the excuse that Paul's eyes must be sensitive because he was still wearing sunglasses.

An 'oopsie' later and she'd brushed her fingers down the side of his face with an obnoxious giggle. Then Paul's hand had snapped out and shackled the woman's wrist. His lips had curled pleasantly, his voice equally so if one ignored the velvet menace lurking just under the surface. "Don't touch me."

_Finally_ the woman blushed. She had sputtered an apology before backing away as Paul released her, her eyes wide. Her gaze had landed on Bella, who simply shrugged with a bland smile. She wasn't about to help the stupid woman. Thankfully, for the rest of the flight, it was the male flight attendants who served them. The guys actually seemed amused over the whole thing and Bella had to wonder just how many times the woman must have joined the Mile High Club with her passengers to garner that degree of a lack of sympathy in her co-workers.

Not too much later, Bella actually found herself relaxed enough on a flight that she was able to sleep. It was a first for her, and she couldn't have been more grateful for Paul's presence.

Disembarking, she was happy to see that her father had used his badge to get himself and Sam past security and ran to hug the both of them as soon as she could reasonably wiggle her way past the other passengers.

Sam laughed as he suddenly had an armful of little brunette, hugging her tightly before passing her off to her father. "Missed you, kid," Charlie said gruffly.

"Missed you too, Dad," Bella responded with a huge grin. Oh, had she ever missed him! She loved her mom and Phil, but somehow, Charlie had come to mean home to her. Him and her Wolves. Angela. Sue. Harry and Billy. It just wasn't the same without them.

Charlie put his little girl back on her feet before shouldering her bag. "We should get going," he said. "Gotta go get your other bags."

"So, how'd the trip go," Sam asked as they began slowly meandering their way towards the luggage claim. A part of him had been shocked that there had been no midnight calls of utter freaked-outedness. No 'oh, shit, Sam! Paul broke someone!'. After Paul had gotten on the plane, Sam's mind had whirled with all the ways things could possibly go wrong. But Bella had needed Paul, and so Paul she would get. Sam's little sister would have what she needed to keep her healthy. Even if it made Sam utterly freak out, himself, as the days passed with no contact.

Was Paul in jail? Had he killed someone? Had he accidentally outed them because Paul was, quite frankly, the strangest of them? Emily had tried to calm him, and when that didn't work, Jared had pulled him aside and pointed out that there was very little Paul wouldn't actually do for Bella and that most likely included playing nice with her family.

Oddly enough…that  _had_ worked.

Bella, for her own part, rolled the question over in her mind. On the one hand she couldn't lie outright because Sam would see through it in a hot minute. She also didn't want to tell him about what had happened with Casey and Ellie, because she didn't ever want to give the rest of the Wolves the satisfaction of knowing how close he'd come to meltdown. Not that, she suspected, Jared of all the Wolves wouldn't have understood. He wasn't super close to Paul but he was closer than the rest and he had lost his shit when his own brother had mouthed off about Kim. He had tossed the same kid under the proverbial bus later on when the boy had hurt Bella.

"It was good. My grandma liked Paul, actually. So did Phil and Renée. And Matthew idolized him," she said with a playful smirk tossed in Paul's direction. He just smirked right back, completely unabashed.

"Matthew?" Sam's face scrunched in confusion.

"A younger cousin. He thought Paul might have been Superman. It was absolutely adorable," Bella concluded just as Charlie chuckled. Charlie missed having a larger family, but hadn't felt right about intruding after the divorce. He was still Uncle Charlie to Gareth and Rose thankfully, but didn't really know the others except through word of mouth as they hadn't been born until after he and Renée had finally filed.

"How old," Sam said somewhat dubiously, because it would take a lot of balls for a kid to even come up to Paul.

"Seven," Bella answered with a touch of defiance. She knew exactly what Sam had been thinking, and while she loved her oldest brother to death, she really did wish that people would stop treating Paul like a rabid animal that was likely to bite someone's arm off. He had behaved perfectly even in the face of other people's issues. Casey was still in one functional piece…so was Ellie, despite her attempts at sexual harassment.

The flight attendant? She still had both her hands.

Sam must have sensed that he was treading into dangerous territory, because he just smiled and dropped it.

He knew how protective Bella was of the taller Wolf, even if it tended to surprise him on occasion. While Paul could certainly take up for himself, he didn't tend to inspire feelings of loyalty in others. Shaking his head, he decided to let the subject go. Bella wasn't going to give up anything that might hurt Paul and it wasn't worth beating a dead horse for information he most likely wouldn't like or need in the first place.

Finally, their bags came down the chute onto the conveyer belt and were picked up by the foursome. Bella hugged Sam one last time, before turning to Paul. Dropping her duffle bag, she threw herself upwards into his arms. "Thank you so much for coming to Florida for me. It meant a great deal," she said quietly.

Paul pressed a kiss to the top of her head and squeezed her a bit tighter before placing her back on her feet. "All you ever have to do is ask," he murmured.

And he meant that. She could see it in the expression on his face. In the lines of his body. She smiled before reaching down and picking up her bag again. A part of her didn't want to leave him, even though she knew he had a shift at The Haven tonight and had to go home and change for it.

She'd just grown so used to having him there every night that she could hardly bear to imagine trying to sleep by herself again. She knew she was being very selfish, so she tried to just smile at him as the two parties went their separate ways. Paul had to stop by Sam's place first to pick up his bike from where they had stored it in the garage. But before they were completely out of earshot, Sam called to get Bella's attention.

"Yeah?"

"Jared and Embry will be by later after they get off work," he said, 'work' being a euphemism for patrolling.

Bella grinned. "Looking forward to it!" she called back before waving at him as the two Wolves walked out the other door.

}:{

"So how did it really go," Charlie asked as he pulled on to the highway.

Bella's eyes widened. She'd thought for sure she was going to get away with everything, because Sam had let it go. But she should have known better. Her dad may not say much but it didn't mean he missed a thing. She sighed, then grudgingly began. "Could have gone better, but none of it was Paul's doing. You can blame all of it on Casey and Ellie."

"I know who Ellie is, but who is Casey? Another cousin?"

"No, one of Phil's old teammates. Phil got promoted to the majors, but he's still friends with his old team. Anyway, Casey…got some sort of weird crush on me and decided to try and get between me and Paul. Not sure what he thought was going on between us, because nothing more than friendship has  _ever_ happened. But in the end, he decided that trying to force his tongue down my throat would make me all compliant and crap."

Charlie sputtered for a moment. "Wait…he what?"

"Don't worry.  _Trying_ was as far as he got because Paul embarrassed him. Didn't see much of him other than to make cow eyes at me after that until he left the day after Christmas Day."

Charlie unruffled a bit at that, but no dad likes to hear about their daughter being accosted. "And Ellie?"

Bella bit her lip, unsure as to how much she wanted to say. But Charlie, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, wasn't having it. "All of it, Bells."

"Ellie got a crush on him. It wasn't too bad at first, and Paul basically ignored the fact that she was breathing the same air as he was. That is, until she decided to strip down, climb into my bed and wait for him. Of course he immediately knew it wasn't me, and he took her downstairs still wrapped in the bedclothes and dumped her on the floor in front of everyone. Unfortunately, that was when she decided to try and get out of trouble by lying and saying that Paul had ripped her clothes off and tried to assault her first."

Charlie blinked. "What the hell? Even I know that Paul doesn't like anyone but you. What did she hope to accomplish?"

Bella shrugged. "I'm not really sure she thought that far, to be honest. I know she hoped that he'd cuddle up to her thinking she was me, but he smelled her out even before he could tell that her heartbeat was wrong." She didn't say how touched she was that Paul could tell who she was simply by the beat of her heart.

"Jesus…that's messed up. If anyone had actually believed the little liar then life would have been hell for the kid right about now," Charlie mused. Paul may have been a world-class asshole, but he had proven himself more than loyal to his little girl and that loyalty bought him a measure of the same from Charlie Swan. Even he had heard about what had happened between Paul and Jonah and while a part of him had cringed, the father in him could only cheer Paul on for his heartfelt defense of Bella.

"So," Bella began in an attempt to change the subject. "How were things while I was gone? Anything happen?"

"Not a lot. Sam came over to visit a few times and brought along Emily. That woman makes a mean chocolate cake!"

Bella chuckled. "Yeah, she does. Whenever I have a bad week, she makes it for me."

"Deputy Masterson came in with his wife the other day. Brought in his son to say 'hi'."

"Are there any new pictures?" Bella asked eagerly. That kid was a cute little cherub with a ready smile and the most adorable baby babble.

Charlie reached into his pocket and plucked out his phone to pass it over.

"Oh my god, this is such a cute little guy!" Bella cooed. She wasn't even really a 'baby-person', but the little boy was just too endearing for words. Friendly and happy with very little crying, the baby was the type to inspire the pictures of little winged Cupids. "Aww…!"

Charlie chuckled. "I'll tell Mark you said so."

Scrolling through further, Bella came upon a picture of a very attractive blonde woman in uniform. Looking to be in her early thirties, she was holding the baby and making the exaggerated happy face one tended to make in the face of such overwhelming cuteness. "Who is this?"

Charlie glanced over, and Bella knew immediately that it was someone important by the way Charlie's ears turned red. "That's Deputy Samantha Briggs," he said quietly. "She's new."

Bella's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Really?" she purred. "Tell me  _all_ about her!"

The redness in Charlie's ears migrated across his face. "Just transferred in. Don't know her real well, yet, but…she's something else."

"And?" Bella was practically dancing in her seat. Charlie was way too agitated by this for it to be about nothing.

"She may have asked me out for coffee on Friday," he said hesitantly.

" _Yes_!" Bella crowed. "I  _knew_ it!"

"I did try to decline, at first. I don't want to give the wrong impression of me being out with a subordinate, but-"

" _No_!" Bella exclaimed. "Dad, you have to go with her!" It was the first time that Charlie had displayed any kind of interest in a female that Bella could remember. Not since Renée had walked out on him all those years ago. She imagined that it must have been incredibly hard on his self-esteem to have his wife leave him the way she had.

"I tried to tell her why," Charlie said ruefully. "She just smiled at me and said that she would remember not to ask me for any favors in the work place."

"Smart woman," Bella decided. Because her dad was still a young man at thirty-seven and  _deserved_ to go out with who he chose. He was quiet to be sure, but steady and dependable to the core. And handsome, if Bella did say so herself. She may be biased, but then her dad did bear more than a passing resemblance to Joe Manganiello. "Well, I hope you go through with it! And if she has any sense at all, she'll keep a good hold on you, Dad."

Charlie just laughed.

They were pulling into the driveway, when Bella saw that there two tall forms opening the front door and coming out onto the front stoop. But it wasn't till they started down the stairs that she realized who they were. Bess had barely come to a complete stop before she was flying up the stairs and hurling herself at Jared. For his own part, the Were seemed to realize that he was going to actually get the same kind of greeting that Sam usually got after long absences and so set himself so as to not go over backwards with her…laughing as she flew into his arms. "I missed you guys so much!" she exclaimed.

Embry smiled as she then moved to him and clung to him almost desperately.

Intellectually, he'd known she would be back, but he wouldn't deny the relief he felt in just holding the girl. It had felt as if a piece of him were missing with her gone, and now that she was back, that piece realigned with the gaping hole it had left and seamlessly settled into place. It had given him more of an appreciation for what she had felt when the Cullens had abandoned her, and he had hated every second of it.

"Good to have you back," he said quietly.

"Good to  _be_ back," Bella returned. "It just wasn't the same without you guys."

Jared and Charlie just shared a smile, before moving into the house. Sam had been given a key to the Swan home and it was carefully guarded by all of the pack who had the privilege of being invited. Charlie and Bella had apparently taken longer to get back than they had anticipated, because the boys had dinner started and were just waiting for the timer to go off on the baked mac and cheese.

"Thanks, boys," Charlie called out at the two who had gone ahead and grabbed Bella's bags from the truck bed. Jared raised a hand in a negligent wave before shouldering Bella's duffle bag. Bella wondered at how he didn't stumble under the rather significant weight of it, because it was a sizable bag and it was packed to the gills with Christmas loot.

Speaking of Christmas gifts… "Gareth and Rose had me bring their gifts for you back instead of shipping them. Said it would probably get to you faster that way."

Charlie grinned. He had sent them gifts early so that they could open them before they left for Jacksonville. Those two were good kids, and he was just thankful that he got to still be a part of their lives despite the lack of official relation by blood or marriage.

But despite the cheerfulness of everyone, Bella noticed that Embry seemed just a tiny bit…off. He smiled and acted relieved that she was back, but…she  _knew_ something was wrong. Watching Jared yielded no results, because he seemed just fine. Feeling for that link that she shared with the two boys, she noted that Jared was honestly chipper and excited to see her, while Embry's showed a shadow of sadness.

They both turned as they felt the minute tug as she checked their connection to her, and Jared's brows lifted in question. Embry simply dropped his gaze.  _Gotcha_ , Bella thought. She'd talk to him about what was bothering him later, because now it was clear he didn't want to bring it up in front of everyone.

Shaking her head, Bella just shrugged and Jared nodded with a brief glance at Embry. He knew something was up but Jared wasn't the sort to pry so he was going to let it go.

Dinner was a quiet, if cheerful affair, because Werewolves could rarely let an opportunity go by without thoroughly stuffing their faces. Embry seemed to perk up right around dessert, because who  _didn't_ love chocolate ice cream? His eyes brightened to match the faintly chocolaty smile that, had Bella not thought of him like a particularly dear brother, she would have been tempted to try and lick clean.

But then, Embry had always been handsome. Lean, fine-boned face and deep, intelligent eyes. His face was almost model-perfect, but for the faintly crooked nose that he had gotten from falling out of a tree when he was eight.

He was roughly six-and-a-half-feet of lean, beautifully proportioned muscle containing a sweet, quiet nature that Bella always thought an odd temperament to find in a Werewolf. But he had his moments of viciousness, too. Laurent could tell you all about it…if he wasn't a cold pile of ashes lying abandoned in the field Bella used to find so beautifully romantic.

Yet all in all, he was a wonderful young man and Bella adored him.

So she wondered what could possibly have brought him to feel as low as she had observed him to be when she had tested their bond. It had felt…hollow and sad. Despairing over something with no sense of relief in sight.

Embry and Bella eventually wandered upstairs to talk about Bella's trip. And talk she did. Told him about all the good and the bad. Even Embry was shocked about anyone thinking they could pull something so completely idiotic. "And she actually thought that crawling into bed with someone more inclined to snap her like a twig would be a good plan?!"

"Well, to be fair, he was a perfect gentleman up until Casey."

"I still can't believe that Paul let you get between the two of them," Embry said wonderingly. He was pretty sure Paul was the next best thing to a berserker, and to Paul, just being around a man who was invading the space of the only person he seemed to care for would have been like spilling blood in the water for a particularly vicious shark.

Bella wrapped her arms around her knees where she sat on the foot of the bed. "I honestly couldn't believe it, either. But he was pretty good about it. And he was right. I  _should_ have kicked Casey in the balls."

Embry was surprised to actually find himself in agreement with the resident bastard Were. Something he never would have believed, except for one thing…when it came to Bella, anything was possible. Vampires ignored their urges to eat the pretty little human. Werewolves broke with tradition and imprinted on a paleface girl in a sibling-like capacity. And Paul…whatever the fuck  _he_ was (Embry was damned sure there was some incredibly interesting genetics at work there, not that he'd ever admit to it, because come on! Weren't Werewolves pretty out there in the first place?) took a liking to a fragile little human girl, something that no one could ever have foreseen.

"So tell me how things went while I was gone," Bella prodded, poking Embry in the knee with a smile.

"Not a whole lot happened, to be honest," Embry prevaricated with a small laugh. "Things were pretty quiet around here. We worked, patrolled and Jacob-" he cut off awkwardly.

Bella waved him off. "It's okay if you talk about him. I'm not angry anymore."

She didn't add that she wasn't yet ready to forgive, but she wouldn't react like a bratty child if someone mentioned him or even spoke about him.

He looked unsure, but continued at her urging. "Jacob. Well, he's…he's starting to make amends for his behavior. None of us were really sure what was all said between him and Billy but it seems to have gotten to him." He didn't add that it was probably Bella's loss that had hurt more than his father's words. They had all seen tiny snippets of both the conversation and the letter that had hurt him so badly. And while Embry could appreciate her point of view…everyone had been wary of the younger Alpha after his actions against Paul…he also felt for his oldest friend who had gotten his heart unknowingly broken by his first real crush.

"I'm glad. He was pretty unhinged that last night. Well, so was I, to be honest-"

"Bella, you were defending someone who was currently helpless. No one will ever think less of you for what you did. Hell, even Jacob understands why you did it, now. He's already forgiven you. You just need to forgive yourself."

Bella propped her cheek against her knees. "What if I can't," she murmured, so quietly that had Embry not been supernatural he wouldn't have heard her.

"You're not a violent person at heart, Bella. But you were pushed. Everyone has their breaking point and you'd reached yours. Paul is dear to you and for the first time he was helpless to defend himself. You didn't know what Jacob intended to do next and you snapped."

"But Jacob is dear to me as well, no matter how angry I was at him. And I cut him out of my life," she mumbled.

"It's not the same thing," Embry insisted. "Paul was helpless, and Jacob had already attacked him. Sure, anyone male would wish you might have kicked him elsewhere, but let's face it, honey. You're short," he said with a playful smirk.

Bella gaped at him before a helpless burst of laughter escaped her.

"It kind of limits the areas that you could have kicked him and have him actually feel it. Because we all know that anything short of you taking a baseball bat to his hide would have been like getting punched by a gnat. It wasn't a bad thing that you went for the place that you would be felt." He didn't say that he thought Jacob had been damned lucky that it had been Bella to assault him and not Paul himself. Because even he suspected that Paul would likely have cheerfully broken Jacob into little screaming pieces, Alpha or no Alpha.

_He'd just have to remember to never think that thought while in Wolf form because it went against every belief the tribe and Pack had._

"I don't know if I'm ready, yet, to try and mend our friendship. I mean, I'm mostly over what happened that night, but he'd been getting…controlling. It's not something I'm willing to tolerate again. I had enough of that with Edward," she muttered.

Embry bit back a growl. That was still a touchy subject for most of the Pack. That Jacob had left bruises on the girl had left Sam a bit hair-trigger in regards to his fellow Alpha. He'd wanted to take him down a few pegs for it, but without Bella's permission, his hands were tied. Then Jacob had gone over the edge and lost the girl anyway. Sam saw no point in kicking him further while he was already so low.

The twins, however, had spent weeks creatively imagining all the ways they could get back at him while in the Pack-mind, the only outlet they had for taking revenge, because if he had been any other Wolf and unable to Alpha Order them, they would have ganged up on him and beaten the crap out of him for what he had done. They were very partial to Bella, especially since Paul was.

It was funny, but half the time Embry actually wondered just  _who_ those two assholes were actually following, because they typically obeyed Sam only if it suited them to or Jacob when they absolutely  _had_ to.

"Jacob understands that he fucked up, and that it will take time," Embry stated clearly. "No one is going to push you into anything you aren't ready for." He'd make damned sure of that even if he had to prance off and tattle to Paul about it, because  _no one_  was going to going pull an end run around that fucker and they all knew it.

She nodded slowly, mulling over his words. "I just hate having driven a wedge between everyone."

"You think you did something that…oh, say  _Leah_  hasn't wanted to do for months? Adding you to the scenario just made her want to do it even  _more_. The twins are more likely to listen to Paul than either Sam or Jacob anyway. Me? Yeah I was a bit surprised, but only because I never thought Jacob capable of something like that. Neither had Quill. Sam was mad only because of how  _Jacob_ was behaving, not  _you_. You tend to take responsibility for things that are not only not your  _doing_ , but not even  _close_ to being your fault. I love you, but you have a bit of a martyr complex, kid."

Bella gaped, then . "But-!"

"No," he cut her off. "You do. I bet you even blame yourself for Jacob attacking Paul in the first place…don't you?"

"Now that  _was_  my fault! Jacob would never have attacked Paul if it hadn't been for me spending so much time with him!"

"And yet," Embry insisted, "Jacob has never liked Paul. He most likely  _would_ have attacked him sooner or later because that's the way Wolves are. Two alpha male personalities, and one of them supposedly born to rule over the other one that he can't really control? Yeah, cause  _that's_  not trouble just waiting to happen by the way. But that's beside the point. The point  _is_ , there would come a time when Jacob would be forced to attempt dominance over Paul, it's simply the way of things in a normal Pack. Now that's a double-edged sword because on the one hand, Paul didn't break an Alpha Order in the middle of a fight with a Vampire which is good. That way would lie trouble. Unfortunately, since he  _has_ now broken an Order, he's quite easily capable of shrugging off the next one unless it comes in tandem with Sam's. Sam hypothesizes that it has something to do with respect when it comes to Paul, and since Paul has lost the tiny shred of respect he had once had for Jacob, he can slip through the kid's Alpha Order like it never happened. Sam…well the one time he Ordered Paul to do something that Paul rightfully objected to, he lost respect for Sam. As a result, it was months before Sam could give an Order that Paul would actually be required to obey. It was a respect that Sam had to regain. Granted, even after, Paul's sometimes just too pissed off to actually hear the Order. But with Jacob? Well, it's a respect that Jacob never attempted to earn in the first place and so as a result he has no idea how to regain it. The worrying part is that when Jacob takes over the Pack, he will have no way to control Paul without that respect and that will cause mammoth-sized problems."

Bella blinked, because she was pretty sure that that was the most she'd ever heard the young man say all at once. And he wasn't quite done.

"Sam is already worried about it. And I don't blame him for it at all. Jacob is not equipped to handle Paul, at least not at this time. But let me stress this, just so you don't miss it.  _NONE_ of it is your fault. It can't possibly be." He stared her in the eye, willing her to take what he was saying to heart. "This has everything to do with two very different people who, in ideal circumstances, would never need to be in the same vicinity. Unfortunately, the Pack exists in a microcosm society and Jacob just  _can't_  avoid Paul. And please don't ever tell anyone that I told you this, but…I'm pretty sure that even when Jacob comes into his full power as the singular Alpha, he's going to find that he's  _still_ no match for Paul in a head-on brawl. And then things are going to get incredibly ugly."

Bella paled a bit as Embry's speech came to a halt. It was a lot of information to take in and it all spelled disaster. It may have been nice to hear that all the things she had been blaming herself for weren't actually her fault, but it didn't make things any less disastrous. Paul would never bow to Jacob because he had done nothing to deserve it…and Jacob would demand it as his due when he became the leader of the Pack. He thought the position itself was the thing to be respected, not understanding that it was the person filling the position that garnered the response he wanted. Sam had learned that lesson…it came with being a mature adult. Jacob may have had the physical stature of an adult, but mentally he was still a sixteen year old boy.

But…that wasn't what was worrying Embry. At least not really. It was a facet of the problem, because he cared about the players in the game, but still.

"Alright," Bella said. "That's a lot of food for thought. But that's not why I brought you up here. And I think you know that. So tell me what's  _really_  going on."

Embry pulled a hand down his face and closed his eyes with a sigh. He'd really been hoping to avoid this, because it was painful enough to  _live_ through it. But he also knew that Bella would never let this go. She cared too much to ever let  _her_ people suffer by themselves. It was something he loved about her, even if it would rip him apart to rehash the issue. Slim fingers brushed patiently through his hair and he could already see the gentle expression on her face despite his closed eyes. She would wait forever if need be. "I Imprinted."

"Oh! Isn't that a good thing, though?" He could hear the confusion in her voice.

"She doesn't want me." He hated the catch in his voice.

"But how could she  _not_ want you?!" She didn't get it. Embry was awesome! Her sweet, gentle brother was a catch and she'd smack anyone who dared say otherwise! "Are you sure? What did she say? Who is she? Because I'm pretty sure you could make  _anyone_ happy, and-"

"It was Leah."

Bella's face fell. Now it was clear. Leah wouldn't want  _anyone_ foisted upon her by Imprinting and would deny them on principle alone because she despised anything to do with it, and would never trust the emotions of anyone who had imprinted upon her. "Oh, Embry…

He flinched at the tone of her voice…sad and resigned. Because she knew what he had already known…Leah wasn't ready. Not for getting past her hurt over Sam, not for a new relationship, and certainly not for anything as intense as an Imprinted mate. "I'm not sure why it happened now. I've been around her for months, now, and I was sure I had looked her in the eyes before then. But I must not have because it felt like my whole world suddenly spun backwards on its axis and there she was. She was so beautiful, Bella. I must not have ever looked at her properly…never  _seen_  what was right in front of me. But she looked like I had betrayed her, somehow, and I can't tell you how much it hurt. I could never hurt her. That's how I knew…she didn't have to say a word and I knew she didn't want me. And I think," he stumbled, head dropping till his chin touched his chest, "I think she imprinted on me right back."

Bella scrambled across the bed to climb into his lap, wrapping herself around the emotionally-crushed young man.

"When did this happen," she asked quietly.

"The day after Paul left for Florida."

"How many of the other Wolves know?" She didn't want him to have to relive his own misery through their eyes every time he phased.

"None. Since the Imprinted Wolf has to become whatever is needed, and Leah seems to want to pretend it never happened, it gave me the ability to keep it to myself. I don't think of it when in Wolf form and neither does she."

Bella bit her lip, but could only hug him harder. She could see no out for him in this newest tangle that he found himself in. It was terrible and painful and she wished she could see any way to fix it. But until Leah got over her hurt and anger, Embry was stuck. He would never subject a person to the kind of rejection that it would take to break an imprint because he was far too kind, and Leah had been hurt enough. Though, she imagined it must say something that Leah had not immediately turned on Embry and repudiated him. Even she wouldn't be that cruel to an innocent party. "You know that if Leah has Imprinted on you, she will feel how you are dealing with this. She can't ignore it if she hurts you out of fear and what is probably a good dose of panic."

It was small, cold comfort, but he would take even the thinnest silver lining he could manage to find. He kissed her forehead in thanks as silence descended upon the room.

}:{

Long after Embry had run home, Bella lay in her bed, quietly rehashing in her head all the information she had been given that night. It was an astonishing much, and she sorted it into neat mental files before going over it once again. That Jacob was coming around was wonderful. She was glad to hear it. That she had apparently had a bit to do with it seemed the accepted belief of a number of the Pack members. She would have to talk to Sam about what he thought about maybe re-establishing lines of communication between her and her childhood best friend.

She'd had time to think it over and had finally realized the driving motivation to Jacob's issues. She could have smacked herself for not figuring it out sooner, but since Jacob was only another brother to her, she'd never bothered to look for signs of attraction in the boy. She'd shamelessly brother-zoned the boy at an early age and had never looked beyond it to possibly starting a relationship. Not that she was looking to start one now, because she was hopelessly in love with her current best friend.

She yawned, something that she took as a good sign that she might actually stand to get some real sleep tonight despite being alone for the first time in a week.

But Jacob's friendship wasn't the only issue on the table. Embry had spelled out a great deal of the trouble in the Pack as it stood, trouble she'd never even contemplated before. That Paul had no respect for Jacob was a given…the boy had never done a thing to earn it, other than being born under the right roof. Whereas Sam had Paul's respect in spades. She just hoped that Jacob didn't attempt to take over anytime soon, because she could see it all going to hell in its very own little hand-basket.

Then there was Embry.

God, she didn't even know what to think about that one. It was a bit like a Shakespearean tragedy in a lot of ways. He wants her, but she doesn't want him, because she'd been burned by another just like him. Because Sam was a good man all the way through. Just like Emily was a good woman. But so was Leah. And she'd been hurt so very badly by her very own genetics that it was like a cosmic joke. She'd almost killed her own father, or so  _she_ saw it. Harry said he had always been prone to a weak heart and it wasn't  _her_ fault that she was the very first female Wolf. He couldn't have been more proud of his daughter.

Bella sighed. She didn't know what to do to help any of them and it galled her. They had all done so much for her. Been there for her when she was at her lowest. Maybe she just needed to do the same for them? If one did one's best at what they  _could_ do, then would it be considered enough? She hoped so.

The timer on her phone went off, telling her that it was late enough to make the call she had been waiting to make.

Dialing the now-familiar number, she waited for it to ring through. "You've reached The Haven. How may I help you," came the cool voice of the proprietor.

"Haven, its Bella."

"Ah, Bella! What can I do for you, love?" Haven's voice was far friendlier once he realized who was on the line.

Bella grinned in spite of herself. "I was just calling to see if Paul was on break yet."

"Still having trouble sleeping?"

"I think I may actually fall asleep tonight," Bella returned, not at all surprised that the man knew about the problem she'd been having. "I just wanted to call and say goodnight. And to thank  _you_ for loaning him out! It was greatly appreciated and I hope it didn't put you in too much of a lurch?"

"Not at all. He hadn't taken a holiday since he started working here, so he was due." She could practically  _hear_ the smile in his voice, reassuring her that he was telling the truth. "And speaking of himself, here's your young man," he said, passing the phone over before she could correct him.

"Bella?"

"Hey, Paul. I was just calling to say goodnight and to thank you again for coming out to visit with me."

"Anytime. You only have to ask." In the background, she could hear Haven saying he was needed on the floor, then the telltale click of the office door shutting behind him.

"Still," she continued. "He didn't have to let you go, and neither did Sam. What does Haven think about flowers?" she asked only half-jokingly.

"I'd say he dislikes daisies and tulips and prefers black or white roses," Paul responded with a smirk in his voice.

Bella made a mental note of that and wondered what the man in question would think if she actually sent him some. Might be worth it just to see the look on his handsome face. Of course, she yawned again just then, setting the Were to chuckling. "You should sleep," he suggested.

"I know," she said. Another yawn later and she decided it was time to sign off for the night. "Anyway. You have a good night. I'll see you soon?"

"Count on it. Good night," he said.

"Night." And then she was clicking off the phone.

She was asleep even before her head even hit the pillows.


	22. The Devil Went Down to Georgia - The Charlie Daniels Band

_Okay. You can do this. Just lift your hand. Ring the stupid doorbell. This is not the apocalypse!_

Bella took a deep breath and lifted her hand yet again…only to fail spectacularly at the simple action just like she had the previous three times.

Crap. She really didn't want to do this. She didn't want to be here at Lauren's house. She didn't want to be at a party where dumb kids were going to be doing even dumber things because of their blood-alcohol content. Didn't want to be around music cranked up so loud that the bass could disrupt the beat of her heart. But she had agreed to come, much to her own dismay.

Smacking herself in the forehead, she wondered why she'd done such a stupid thing. Then she was reminded as her phone buzzed with a text message.

- _You still coming?_ \- It was Angela.

Bella groaned. She was the only reason Bella was even considering making her fifth attempt. She'd promised the other girl that she would come and she'd already put it off for hours now. It was going on ten o'clock at night and Bella was pushing fashionably late into the zone of rudeness by this time. She knew it, had been raised better than this, but still… _ugh_.

Instead of texting her back, she shrugged fatalistically before lifting her hand and finally making hesitant contact with the doorbell. It depressed with a sinister sounding Bong! Heart-attack-loud, she could hear it even over the music and it startled the hell out of her. Though to be fair, she was already so tense that even an ant coughing in her direction would have made her jump.

The door banged open and a tipsy Mike Newton stood in the open frame. "Bella! Hey, glad you could make it!" He stumbled forward to hug her in welcome, and Bella found herself wrapped in a cloud of liquor-fumes and an overabundance of Axe body-spray. Wrinkling her nose in an effort to preserve her sense of smell, she forced herself to pat him lightly on the back in an attempt to hurry the embrace along and make him let go. But drunk-Mike was apparently a bit more handsy than sober-Mike and Bella smiled tightly as she twisted her hips to the side in an attempt to avoid the seemingly accidental swat to the ass as Mike leaned into her.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Mike pulled back with a goofy grin. "How was your Christmas?"

Bella forced herself to smile brightly. "It was pretty good. How was yours?" she asked politely.

"It was  _awesome_!" Mike declared a bit loudly. "My parents got me a car!"

_Oh, wonderful_ , Bella thought cynically.  _This, coming from someone who was barely walking in a straight line at the moment._  But then again, maybe she wasn't being fair, because this was the very first time she'd ever seen Mike drunk. Luckily the boy also happened to be a cheerful drunk and he rambled happily about this and that as he led Bella into the heart of the house where the party was already in full swing. She was actually very thankful for this because it meant that she might get away with not making a grand entrance. She wouldn't have to become the center of attention with so many people already present.

Still, it took her a while to escape Mike and make her way through the crowds of her fellow seniors, bumping into the familiar and unfamiliar alike as she went with a somewhat sheepish smile. It was as she was about to go on a hunt for a non-alcoholic drink that she finally spotted Angela and hurried over with a far more authentic smile.

The girl had been standing against the far wall, watching the goings-on with the look of someone watching the animals escaped from the zoo and hoping like hell that they didn't see her. She turned her head right then as if sensing Bella's approach somehow, and Bella could have laughed at the way relief seemed to completely transform the taller girl's face.

"Oh, thank goodness," Angela exclaimed once Bella was within hearing. "I was beginning to think that you weren't coming after all!"

"I could never do that to you," Bella laughed, hugging the poor girl who looked completely out of her depth. And if she had her way, no one would ever know how close she had come to doing exactly that out of cowardice. "How long have you been here?"

Angela smiled wryly. "Long enough to have help set things up before the rest of them arrived."

Bella winced in sympathy. "I'm so sorry! If I had known you were going to come so early, I would have done the same!" She would have just sucked it up and grown a pair to deal with Lauren and Jessica's antics because Angela was worth a little discomfort to her. She was one of her dearest friends and had put up with all of her hermitesque ways during those last few months with Edward and those first few weeks without him. She was stubborn enough to stand up to Bella's mopeyness, and strong enough to not let it get to her personally.

"Don't worry about it," Angela asserted. "I wouldn't have been here, either, if Mom hadn't of insisted that I come and help. Ironic, really."

It kind of was, because while not a zealot by any means, Emma Webber was a deeply religious woman who had sent her daughter to help set up a New Years party for a bunch of drunk teenagers. Granted last year's exploits had somehow managed to miss the ear of anyone in a position of authority, but still…it seemed a given that there would be alcohol at any unchaperoned party thrown by teenagers. No one could be quite  _that_ naive…could they? Or was it simply that the woman would insist on good manners when in the company of the Devil himself?

"So how was your Christmas?" Bella asked, this time genuinely interested unlike when she had asked the same of Mike.

"Oh boy." Angela puffed out her cheeks.

"That bad?"

"Well, it wasn't awful, but Joshua and Isaac seemed to be revisiting their terrible two's. Nana thought they were hysterical, unfortunately, and egged them on. Mom wasn't terribly impressed by it and I think the twins spent more time in timeout in a single week then they did all year. Dad hid out in his office because he knows he's a soft-touch on those two and didn't want to undermine Mom."

Bella tried to smother a smile behind her hand, but Angela just grinned at her letting her know that she'd been caught out. "It's okay. Those two are adorable enough to compensate for their shenanigans."

Someone bumped into Bella's back just then, sending her stumbling into Angela who caught her with a tiny grunt. Bella felt an apologetic pat on her back and turned to see Eric Yorkie, drink in hand with a deeply remorseful look on his face, eyes comically huge and somewhat glazed. "Duuude! I am so sorry! You both okay?"

He looked so incredibly worried that for some reason Bella could only giggle for a moment before she could even begin attempting to reassure him. "Don't worry, we're both fine. And see, look, you didn't even spill your drink!"

Relief in the form of a bright, if somewhat silly, smile crossed his face before he stuffed his drink into Bella's hands. "Here! It's a new glass, so no worries, no cooties!" he said with a drunken giggle before disappearing back into the crowd of meandering drunks.

Bella looked dubiously down at the red plastic cup in her hands, before shrugging and taking a sip. It was actually pretty good, and she took another minute sip before looking back to Angela who was watching her in surprise. Bella shrugged. "It's actually good, and I figure if I keep sipping it no one will think that I need another. Besides, it's only one drink?"

Angela blinked and seemed to be pondering while chewing absently at her lower lip. Then she shrugged. It wasn't her body and Bella did have a point. She thought that maybe getting a glass of club soda might be a good plan. Didn't mean she wasn't curious though. "What's it taste like?"

"Mostly pineapple. I think. There's some other flavors. Strawberry. I also taste some coconut," Bella answered. "I don't taste any alcohol but it's probably in here. Want a sip?"

Angela glanced down into the big red cup, before carefully taking a taste, glancing about as if someone were going to shake their finger at her any moment. But pineapple juice was her favorite and she couldn't help but take another appreciative sip. It was good. But her parents were counting on her to set a good example for the twins and so she couldn't bring herself to drink much more and still have a clean enough conscience to be that example. Handing it back, she licked her lips with a grin. "That's really good."

"So how was your Christmas," Angela asked as soon as a gaggle of boys had passed on by.

Bella face-palmed.

"Really?" Angela said, wide-eyed.

"Not all of it, but…it was definitely more stressful than last year." Bella turned a glance on Angela. "Paul actually came down to Florida because I was having trouble sleeping again."

"I still can't believe your dad lets him sleep in the same bed with you," Angela said with a shake of her head. It made no sense to her. But for as many times as she had seen the pair together, and there had been any number of times over the past months, she had never seen Paul cross over the admittedly blurry line that existed between the two. But there was this energy about him whenever Bella came into his sphere...something hungry that stood on the sidelines just waiting for that one little misstep that would leave her at his mercy. It wasn't overt, nothing that Angela could pinpoint as dangerous to Bella no matter how clear it was that  _he_ was. And if she was more superstitious, she would say he was some sort of fallen creature, beautiful and lethal, and to be carefully guarded against in order to save one's immortal soul.

Angela gave her mental meanderings a tiny headshake, before focusing in on what Bella was saying. The pitcher kissing her was stupid because the girl was clearly in love with Paul and for the first time not hiding it all too well, but obvious too because the girl was smoking hot in a way that she would never understand. Boys and men alike did double-takes as the short, shapely little brunette walked by because she was absolutely stunning, and Angela would say that without shame.

Before Bella had become attached to Paul, her shyness stood as a buffer between herself and anyone who might have approached her. She wasn't sure how Edward had done it, but he had managed to entice the girl into perusing  _him_.

Then Paul had come along and suddenly Bella's shyness was no longer enough of a barrier to keep her safe from unwanted attention…when he wasn't around. Because when he was? It was a damned rarity for anyone to dare to look at her from more than afar. She was untouchable for anyone with less than a third testicle or more than half brain capacity.

Then Bella's next few sentences got her attention and she sputtered in disbelief because she'd been around the man for a while and even she wouldn't dare touch him without written consent. In triplicate. And even then it would be a hair-raising event because while he no longer outright scared her, he did unnerve the utter crap out of her.

So the fact that some dumb blonde had decided to try and get into bed with him and he  _hadn't_ broken her was shocking in and of itself. Because Bella had told her, reluctantly, that Paul had a reputation. He didn't like to be touched and people respected it or got hurt. Angela was perfectly willing to respect that, and she suspected that anyone with a lick of sense would say the same because there was something in Paul that screamed predator.

"That's just…crazy," Angela said with her brows furrowed in shock.

"I know! I could hardly believe it myself. I mean, we all know he's kinda ridiculously pretty but for some reason he seems to attract crazy people." Bella could only shake her head. "Its nuts how people treat him. They are either absolutely terrified of him and treat him like he's rabid and they don't want to get bitten, or they treat him like he's catnip and they just want a piece of him regardless of what he wants."

"I just can't believe someone would be stupid enough…sorry I know she's your cousin…but I can't believe  _anyone_ would be stupid enough to climb into bed with him against his wishes! I know you love him, but he's not exactly a run-of-the-mill guy, Bella," Angela said, a dubious expression on her face.

Bella wasn't so sure how she felt about that, but she also had to be honest. Paul  _wasn't_ a typical guy, and never would be. He would never be the guy your daddy wanted you to date because daddy would be intimidated…would take one look at him and ground you. Charlie was a different story because he knew all about Paul, but even he stepped carefully around the younger man.

Taking another sip of her drink, Bella realized the glass was almost empty. Frowning, she glanced around for Eric and finding him close by, she momentarily excused herself so as to get another glass. She completely missed the surprised look on Angela's face as Bella explained that she needed to get the name of the drink so she would know what to ask for.

_Lava Flow…yummy._

She suspected that she shouldn't be getting another drink, but the first one had been delicious. She was staying overnight, so she'd just have to make sure that she was sober enough to go straight to Paul's after she woke up tomorrow, because she knew that Charlie would never go for it. He was a fairly understanding father, but he wouldn't look the other way with underage drinking, especially if it was his own daughter.

It never occurred to her to account for the alcohol content of the second drink and so she was smiling as she made her way back to Angela. Angela just shook her head and mentally wished her friend well because if she didn't slow down, Bella was going to be in for a world of hurt with the hangover she was sure to acquire.

A sudden cheer went up as space began to clear in the middle of the room. And Angela had a sudden, very bad feeling.

"Truth or Dare!" Mike howled out over the crowd and Angela groaned in dismay. She didn't admit to it, but last year she'd almost been conned into running naked through the woods. She had hoped that with Bella there, she would have her in her corner and would be able to avoid having to play. One more sane person and all.

She'd just never imagined that Bella could be tempted by a well-mixed drink. But she would have completely understood if she had known the reasons.

For her own part, Bella was enjoying the sudden lack of stress she was feeling. She was worrying about Paul in regards to Jacob's upcoming succession to singular Alpha. She was worried about Embry's situation, because she knew just how  _well_ Leah was going to take the whole thing for months to come. She was worried about her own misery because she was in love with someone who didn't love her back. She didn't have any doubts that he cared about her, but it hurt that it wasn't the way she wanted him to.

Now, all her worries were falling away and while she knew that she might pay for it later, she was enjoying herself now, something she hadn't thought she could do. She could only hope that she didn't do anything she regretted later, but right now she felt wonderful!

Until someone caught her by the arm and dragged her over to the expanding group of kids all chanting 'Truth or Dare!'. Her eyes widened comically, even as Lauren smirked slyly and sat herself down, claiming that as host, she would go first. No one argued, instead they cheered the girl on as she turned and looked directly at Bella. Angela cringed, but luckily, all Bella was dared to do was chug another drink. It was straight alcohol, unfortunately, and even Angela laughed at the look on the girl's face as the liquor burned its way down her throat.

So there was an unspoken rule that you had to wait a while before you could dare a person again, so at least Bella was safe for the time being. Angela watched, biting her lip. She had wanted more than anything to avoid another game like last year's. Then Angela shrugged, supposing that if that was the worst that Lauren could come up with, then it couldn't be so bad. Though Bella was already just a bit tipsy. Her thoughts were even easier to read as they crossed her face, because her natural guardedness seemed to have melted away in the wake of the booze.

Suddenly, her face froze with anxiety, exaggerated by her current state. She turned to Angela and stretched up to her ear. "I forgot my overnight bag," she whispered. She'd brought her sleeping bag, but forgotten everything else.

"And you can't have your dad bring it, either," Angela put in.

"I know. He'd take one look at me and know I was a little tipsy."

Charlie was pretty observant. Besides, it was probably safer to keep the man away from a bunch of drunk, hormonal girls for fear they'd jump him and tie him down to have their way with him. The man was hot and not even Angela was afraid to admit that. And tall enough that even Angela, standing at six feet plus, didn't tower over him. It was kind of funny, because Bella's mother was also tall, leaving her to wonder where Bella had gotten her shortness from.

"Can you call Sam, then?" She knew that Bella considered the man to be an older brother. But Bella shook her head.

"He'd tattle on me after giving me the disapproving Eyeball of Doom."

Angela chuckled. That sounded about right from what she had seen of Sam. He adored the girl, that much was clear. But along with that love came the drive to keep his little sister on the straight and narrow.

"Well…what about Paul?"

Bella started to shake her head again, then brightened. "He gets off in about ten minutes! He might be able to come. Excuse me for a minute?"

Then she was gone, and Angela was being dared to kiss her boyfriend Ben, something that made her blush painfully. Jessica claimed that she just wanted to see them kiss because she couldn't believe the two of them actually kissed on their dates. As if Angela was somehow too  _pure_ to kiss just because she was a minster's daughter. But blushing or not, she decided that if she had to kiss him in front of an audience, then she was going to do it  _right_ , so she kissed him for all she was worth and watched as Jessica sat back with a sour look on her face, thwarted in her attempt to embarrass the taller girl.

Outside, Bella was fumbling her phone out of her pocket and thanking her phone's contact list for the fact that she wouldn't have to remember Paul's phone number. Waiting for the phone to ring through to his voicemail, she was surprised to hear Paul pick up.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Uh…hi, Paul. I didn't think you were going to answer," she said awkwardly.

"Should I hang up so you can try again?" he teased.

Bella giggled, something about that striking her as hilarious. "Nah. I actually wondered if you could do me a teensy tinesy…tiny? Tiny favor. It's just that I forgot my overnight bag at home and I can't call home 'cause Dad would know. He always knows these things. Don't know how. Maybe it's cause he's a cop?"

There was silence for a moment. Then the Were's deep, rich laughter echoed from the phone. "Bella," he purred, voice shivering though her nerve endings. "Are you drunk?"

Bella tried to stop giggling…she really did. Even as she was forced to squeeze her thighs together because that sex-voice of his had dipped a few luscious octaves. But she discovered that it was impossible to stop the bubbling of hilarity. "Nope. Not drunk. Maybe a little tipsy?"

"Mmhmm," he rumbled dubiously, humor lacing his voice. "And you need clothing?"

"I'm at that stupid New Years party and I forgot my overnight bag," she repeated. "Can you bring me something to wear?"

"I suppose I might," he said, and she could tell he was grinning. "Directions?"

"I'll text you the address," Bella answered.

"See you in thirty," he returned, then hung up.

"Bye?" Bella looked at her phone, then just shrugged. Phone etiquette wasn't always his thing. Following through before she forgot, she sent the address to his phone. Then, walking back into the monstrosity of a house, Bella was thankful to see that she still had a few people to go before she could legitimately be tagged for another dare.

"He coming?" Angela asked her as soon as she got her butt planted on the carpeting.

"Yeah. He gets off right about now and said it would take him about thirty minutes."

"Good deal," the other girl answered.

Then it was Bella being tagged again. She looked up and winced at the cunning look in Lauren's green eyes.

"Bella. Truth or Dare?" Lauren purred maliciously.

Bella actually took a moment to think about it. On the one hand, she didn't want to give the blonde a chance to ask an embarrassing question because it couldn't fail to be hurtful by the look on her face. But on the other hand, she didn't really want to get any drunker or run naked though the woods. She didn't want to kiss anyone, and she didn't want to eat anything disgusting.

She bit her lip and the other kids started chanting her name in an attempt to hurry her along.  _Shit_ …"Truth?"

Lauren narrowed her eyes, and Bella instantly knew that she'd made the wrong choice. "How many boyfriends have you had?"

Bella's eyes widened and she gulped, dismayed. She knew better than to give Lauren an opening, and the witch had picked an embarrassing one. A chink in Bella's armor. She knew right then that Lauren had invited her simply to give herself an in on embarrassing Bella. But she'd been dragged in and she couldn't lie…

"One."

There was a roar of laughter and Bella flushed, humiliated. Mike looked even more slavishly enthralled with her than before, much to her disgust, and she glared at him. He didn't even had the good grace to look embarrassed, simply winking at her drunkenly. Crap. That was the last thing she needed, other than to set herself up for Lauren's ribbing. Because by the look on her face, she wasn't done, and Bella didn't want to know what was going to happen next.

She would have just ducked out of the rest of the game, but she didn't want to deal with the mockery that would rain down on her if she did. But more than that, Bella wasn't a coward. She could deal with whatever crap that Lauren could put out. At least, that was what she told herself as the round continued.

Angela was stuffed in a closet with Eric, much to Ben's dismay.

Jessica was dared outside into the freezing pool. She'd come back shivering before changing into her night clothes, blushing despite herself as a few of the boys whistled at her.

Krystie was forced to fess up that she'd had sex in one of the classrooms with an unnamed partner. Nathan's blushing gave it away, however.

On and on it went. One person after another either dared into unfortunate situations or forced to admit to appallingly funny truths. Bella tried not to laugh too much, but it seemed like the alcohol had gone to her head and she couldn't stop giggling. The one exception was when Angela was freed after the prerequisite seven minutes in the closet. She looked every bit as neat and tidy as she had going in and Bella strongly suspected that the tall girl had simply looked down her slim nose at the drunken Eric and refused to have anything to do with any of it. Other than that, Bella giggled and guffawed along with the rest of them. Even Angela snickered a time or two.

Especially when Mike was forced to borrow a pair of Lauren's lacey underwear and wear them for the rest of the night.

Bella was just getting comfortable again, when Lauren's turn once more came up. Bella set herself for more embarrassment, because it was only fair after all. Everyone else had been dared or embarrassed in some way and she was no different, even if she didn't like it. But for the first time she actually felt like a part of the student body instead of an outsider masquerading as one of them. She wasn't sure if she liked the feeling or not, but felt that it needed to be given a fair shake before she decided.

"Truth? Or Dare?" The platinum blonde's expression was almost diabolical.

Bella bit her lip. She should just go with dare, but she already knew that Lauren would make her do something truly atrocious. The liquor had just been to soften her up for worse things and to see if the goody goody Chief's daughter could be persuaded into breaking the law in the name of a dare.

Closing her eyes, Bella ignored the chanting as the others urged her to make her decision. "Truth."

"Have you ever had a  _real_ kiss?"

Opening one eye, Bell glanced at Lauren suspiciously.  _That was it?_  As questions went, it wasn't really all that bad. Bella  _had_ dated Edward, and while the Vampire  _had_ been sexually repressed, they had shared kisses just like any other couple. They were real kisses as far as she was concerned, even if they would no longer do anything for her. Paul's kiss, well, she wasn't sure if it was a real kiss because the parameters had been so entirely false. But deciding that it  _felt_ real to her, she opened her mouth to answer. Only to be cut off as Lauren sneered.

"A kiss isn't a real kiss unless it involves tongue, Bella."

_Oh. Shit._  How did she know? How could she possibly know that?! Because that was one thing that Edward had not allowed in their kisses. They were relatively chaste for all the supposed passion involved. Hands in appropriate places and all that. It had been very…Victorian of him. And at the time, Bella had accepted it because she had found it all to be very romantic.

_What a crock._

"In fact," Lauren continued, her voice almost syrupy sweet with wickedness, "I would almost be willing to bet money that you've never even really  _touched_ a guy before. And I don't mean holding hands."

Bella flushed crimson. She knew exactly what the other girl meant and it was true. She'd never  _even_  seen a guy below the waist other than the occasional accident around the Wolves, let alone touched one.

Lauren, for her part, finally felt like she had the little bird in her clutches. The girl was turning redder and redder by the moment. There had always been something about her that to Lauren just screamed 'prude' and her little boyfriend had been the same. They rarely touched each other in public, scarcely even glanced at each other in fact. There was no loving kisses, no hand holding…no nothing. But she could have let all of that go with just the minimal amount of teasing. Might have but for one thing little thing.

Jealousy.

She had no idea why she felt the need to lower the girl a few pegs but the drive was there. And it was almost all-consuming. She didn't understand why the girl got so much attention. She wasn't model-material like Lauren herself was. She was pretty, but completely unconscious of it. She was smarter than Lauren, but then again, Lauren didn't really care about that, because she had money. And money made the world go round.

But Bella also had a magnetism that Lauren had struggled all her life to emulate. She had had the attention of Edward Cullen right from the beginning. She had had the affections of his family. She had Mike's lust…and the singular focus of that towering biker she was constantly seen with nowadays.

Of all of them, that last one confused her. She knew that she herself was attracted to the man, but for some reason she didn't want to get anywhere near him. He actually scared her. But while she hadn't really imagined that Bella was all that brave, she was apparently braver than Lauren was. And Lauren couldn't stand it.

Her little bird squirmed, her eyes dropping with embarrassment, her mouth opening with what Lauren felt certain was the confession that would drive in the final nail to her public humiliation when the girl's phone abruptly sounded off to Limp Bizkit's old classic, 'Break Stuff'. Lauren scowled, even as Bella blinked, then exhaled with relief before grabbing for her phone.

"Hello? Oh, you're already here?! Awesome, I'll be right out!" Bella looked up as if suddenly aware that she was still the center of attention, though the blush was already fading from her cheeks. She climbed a little awkwardly to her feet with Angela's help. "Um…so I gotta go? Outside for a minute…be right back."

Lauren glared. "You have to answer the question or take a Dare." She could already feel her prey slipping away from her. "Bella! Come back here!"

But the girl was gone, having escaped out the front door. The room was silent as the heavy door thumped into its frame. Lauren's eyes narrowed further, vowing to herself that she would have her way when the girl came back because there wasn't anywhere she could escape to…

}:{

Stumbling down the steps, Bella peeked into the trees lining the driveway and finally caught sight of Paul where he had parked near her truck, leaning over to unstrap the bag he had brought her. Turning as her feet crunched the gravel in the driveway, he smiled down at her as she approached, tossing the small duffel down by her feet as she came to a stop.

"You're standing upright," he rumbled. "Impressive."

Bella scowled up at him, lower lip faintly protruding in a pout. "I'm not  _that_ drunk."

He gently brushed the back of a knuckle along her lip. "Says you."

She couldn't keep up the scowl for long, however, far too happy to see him and to have escaped Lauren's needling. She gave a mental shrug and smiled back at him. "So how was work?"

"Eh. Crowded and filled with drunks." He flexed a fist, cracking his knuckles almost absently and Bella caught a glimpse of a faint lingering scrape.  _Jesus, who was stupid enough to give him trouble?_

"You okay?"

At his questioning glance, Bella stroked her fingers across the back his hand and he smiled, feral and oddly  _cheerful_. "Got caught up with a drunk who thought he could get round me to get at Kell when he got cut off for the night. Punched a brick wall to catch his attention. Thankfully, he was too distracted to realize that I accidentally cracked a few of the bricks."

Bella could just imagine how  _distracted_ the man must have been with Paul getting into his face.

"So…how's your little party going?"

Bella groaned, scrubbing a hand down her face. "It wouldn't be so bad if Lauren would just leave me be. I swear she's out to get me. I mean, yeah, okay I had already had a couple of drinks so the third one wasn't really so bad even though it made me cough like I was going to die. Some of the others admitted to some pretty funny things, even though it would have taken me about twice as much liquor to get me to admit to anything like that, or to  _do_ anything like that! But even Angela's having fun with the Truth or Dare despite the fact that she got shoved into a closet with Erik Yorkie. Mike, well, he's currently wearing his ex's panties, and Ben is-"

A big hand suddenly appeared over her mouth, even as Paul chuckled in amusement. "You're rambling, girl. Now typically you do that when you're nervous. So I can start guessing as to why, or you can spill. Either way, I'm getting it out of you."

She would  _never_ tell him!  _Never_! Because he'd laugh at her. Everyone  _else_ had laughed at her when she'd said she'd only ever had the one boyfriend. Well, everyone but Angela, because Angela would  _never_ laugh at anyone for something like that. She was far too kind, and besides, she was terribly picky and had only dated Ben herself.

Paul lifted a brow and Bella scowled mutinously.

His brows pulled together and a sly smirk pulled at the corners of his unfairly gorgeous mouth, carving his dimples deep. His eyes glowed eerily in the shadows, pinning her own and Bella squirmed.

Then gave in.

"I swear," she muttered, "I think Lauren must have ESP or something. I know the last drink was to either loosen my tongue or dislodge my inhibitions, but either way, she's gonna humiliate me and I don't know why. I feel kind of like she has some motive that I don't know about, which kind of sucks because I would apologize if I knew whatever it was that I did. Maybe. I think? So the second time, I picked truth," she said, rambling from one topic to the next in a way that must surely have made it hard for Paul to follow, but unable to really help herself.

"She asked me how many boyfriends I've ever had," she mumbled, glancing down at the ground and twisting her hands together. "Eighteen years old, almost nineteen, and I had one kinda-sorta boyfriend who took off on me and left me like I was nothing. How awesome am I that I have had one guy to my name, and he rabbited like I was carrying bubonic plague?"

Paul crossed his arms, lifting a brow to prompt her along. "And?"

"I'm getting there! Don't get your boxers in a knot. Not that you ever wear any," she muttered. Then stopped, face absolutely horrified at what had just come out of her mouth. She glanced up just in time to see his shoulders shake with silent laughter at her drunken blunder. Determined to reactivate her brain/mouth filter, Bella drew in a deep breath and tried valiantly to proceed as if she hadn't just called attention to the fact that she knew he went commando. "Anyway, I knew the third time around that I should have picked Dare, because I would rather eat live worms than admit to what…she wants me to say," she finished lamely.

Paul simply canted his head to the side, waiting her out.

Bella blushed, her face flaming with mortification. Looking down, because the ground was easier to face than her best friend, Bella stumbled onward. "She asked me if I had ever had a real kiss. I guess I thought it was more the person than the action that made it real, and even though  _now_  I wouldn't spray him with a hose if Edward was on fire, I  _do_ still consider those to be real kisses. Or I did until she had to go and publicly define them for me. Apparently tongue is a prerequisite to a real kiss and I get to go in there and tell her in front of everyone that by  _her_ definition, I've never had a real kiss. And if that wasn't bad enough, she just had to ask me just how  _much_ of a guy I've ever touched, and since I fail there too, apparently, I get to admit to that as well."

Silence greeted her confession, but Bella's courage had tucked tail and hid around her ankles, so she spent a few moments eyeballing the ground in search of it. But the cowardly thing refused to be found. She could practically  _hear_ him thinking about what she had just blabbed, and she cringed inside because she would never have admitted to  _any_  of it until she'd been forced to by Lauren's question.

But finally the silence got to her. She glanced up through her lashes, dark eyes hesitantly meeting lambent blue. His lips were still tipped up with amusement as he seemingly pondered over what he had been told. His thumb absently stroked over his lush bottom lip as he watched her, and Bella found herself oddly hypnotized by the act. So much so that she almost missed it when he closed the gap between them.

Apparently, he had come to some kind of decision, because the next thing Bella knew, she was being crowded backwards against a tree. Her spine hit bark and then one hard thigh was pressing forward between her own, wedging her higher against the trunk. His broad torso pressed against her breasts as he held there her effortlessly. His face lost in shadows, Bella found herself shivering at the deepening timbre of his voice as he bent and pressed his lips to her thundering pulse. "I told you. All you ever have to do is ask."

She only had time to squeak out something resembling a questioning sound before Paul's lips were leisurely dragging across the fullness of her own.

Bella jumped then went limp, eyes huge and full of shock. She could feel him smiling against her mouth, even as he gently tugged at her lower lip with his teeth, suckling on the soft bit of flesh. She could feel heat spiraling through her in shivers as he shifted before pulling her leg up over his hip and pinning her there, freeing his hands. One went up, curling about her delicate throat and further trapping her. The other went who the hell knows and all Bella could do was gasp and arch her neck under his hold as he slowly licked his way past her gasping lips.

Fleetingly, Bella wondered where he had learned to kiss, because he was almost orgasmicly good at it. She could actually  _feel_  that slow build that would launch her over the edge. Then the thought was gone as a low rumble of a purr spilled past his parted lips and down her throat, pleasure spiking in its wake. Bella moaned right back, fingers clutching into the black leather of his motorcycle jacket, body arching into his as her legs locked across the small of his back.

Her head was absolutely spinning at the taste of him, as dark and rich as anything she had ever had. Though the spinning might also have been from the alcohol. She felt more than heard the low, guttural sound that left him as her hips unconsciously ground into him. One of her hands was caught by the one she had mentally misplaced, his fingers twining through her own. It anchored her whirling thoughts into something familiar…until something not so familiar brushed along the backs of her fingers. It was thick and unbelievably hard as it flexed under her touch, and for a moment Bella was actually stumped as to what it could be.

She dragged her palm up the length of it again, exploring its alienshape, because it seemed almost like it was  _alive_ …

It wasn't until he actually shuddered and his kiss turned nearly savage for those few moments, that she realized  _exactly_  what it was that she was touching. She blushed furiously for what felt like the billionth time that night and could have kicked herself even as she realized that he was  _literally_  still within her grasp…a fact that finally percolated inside her smashed little brain and she hurriedly let him go with a muffled little sound that seemingly amused him. Though to be fair, it was a part of his anatomy that she had previously banned herself from even  _thinking_  about! Because it went part and parcel along with not allowing herself to think of him as anything other than her friend.

Finally pulling away from her, Paul's hands slid down to her hips and squeezed before carefully setting her on her feet, laughing as she swayed like the little drunk she apparently was. She wanted to glare up at him but that would require looking him in the face. Something currently beyond her capabilities because she had once more let him save her ass at cost to himself.

It just wasn't fair! How did someone like Paul, who likely had already shrugged off the experience as a one-off to help a friend, get those kind of skills? And how was it fair that he had kept them to himself?!

"You okay there?"

All she could do was gape at him, standing there tongue tied like an idiot. The corner of his mouth kicked up as if her inability to speak was about to make him laugh.

Still, it was nice to know that he wasn't actually mad at her. And sure, he'd been hard, but he was male and she'd been stroking his freaking penis…how was that his fault? He hadn't done any more than give her a way to honestly say she'd touched a guy, not his fault at all that she hadn't figured it out for so long a time.

Finally realizing that he wasn't going to get anything out of her, Paul just shook his head with a small grin before stepping back out of her space and moving towards his bike. Straddling it, he winked at her. "Happy New Years," he said, then he kicked the engine over and disappeared back down the drive, roaring off into the night.

Bella watched him go, still tongue tied as she tentatively ran her tongue over her lips, somehow unsurprised to find them tender and just the tiniest bit bruised.  _Jesus_ , she must be some kind of freak because she actually liked that he'd left his mark on her. Like she'd been branded his somehow. Shrugging it off as something she didn't really care to examine too closely, or at all while drunk, she reached down to grab the bag Paul had left her and then went to Bess to grab her sleeping bag. Carting both items into the house, she placed her things near the stairs next to Angela's.

That was when the silence of the party reached her ears. It was an ominous silence, and she almost turned tail and ran outside once more like a little coward. But something was pulling her in the direction of the main room.

She was greeted by the sight of dozens of pairs of wide eyes, and one narrowed pair of greens. Bella winced, having hoped to have avoided the question for the rest of the night. But it wasn't to be. Lauren glared heatedly, arms crossed over her low-cut bosom as Bella finally located her spine and marched across the room, head held high.

Lauren made one last attempt to trap the little bird in her claws. "Well? What's it going to be, Bella? Answer the stupid question or take the Dare."

Bella looked her right in the eyes, her lips quirking into a smile that had a bit too much backbone and not enough shame. Those lips were just a bit swollen, in fact, as if she just come away from  _kissing_ someone. Lauren's eyes widened, her own lip curling into a faint moue as the little bird got away with a flit of its tail feathers.

"Yes I have," Bella declared, if not proudly then decisively. "On both counts."


	23. Little Sister - Queens of the Stone Age

Bella's head felt like an entire troop of dwarves were clog dancing inside her skull when she woke up New Years Day. Her head was pounding in time with her heartbeat and it felt like if she moved too fast, her head was likely to fall off. Which might be a good thing at this point, because then she wouldn't have to feel so violently ill.

She squinted into the bright sunlight, blinking as Angela's sympathetic face came into view. "You look a little green, Bella. Can I get you anything?"

All she wanted was McDonald's french-fries and a coke. Craved it in fact. That and a new brain because apparently the one she had was defective to think that drinking as much as she had would be a good plan. She groaned pathetically, dragging a reluctant grin from the other girl. Scooting up so that she was leaning against the wall, she reached out and began running her fingers through Bella's hair to help sooth her throbbing brain.

Bella quirked her lips minutely upward. "Ugh…I can't believe I drank so much."

"I can't believe you drank at all," Angela chuckled quietly.

"I know. I really shouldn't have. I know they say that alcohol messes with your brain but I didn't realize just how much. I still can't believe that happened," Bella quietly murmured.

"What happened?" Angela asked, brow lifted in curiosity.

Bella suddenly went still, eyes slowly widening as she clapped a hand over her wayward mouth. "I didn't mean to say that out loud," she mumbled from behind her hand.

Angela's own eyes widened at the gesture. Bella was generally pretty open with her and for her to have clammed up like she had, it must have been something pretty serious. Mentally running through the night before, she couldn't see anything that might have garnered such a telling action from the smaller girl. But something  _must_ have because Bella was blushing fiercely. "Okay. Now you  _have_  to tell me," Angela quietly insisted, looking around to make sure no one was paying attention to them.

But instead of answering Bella sat up and looked about, before putting a finger to her own lips to silence Angela's questioning. Angela complied, utterly mystified but willing to follow as Bella beckoned her out of the room and towards the stairs.

They seemed to be the only ones up from what she could see as the two wandered through the house until they came to a clean corner of the family room. Seating themselves, Bella seemed to gather her scattered thoughts. Her brow was furrowed as she nibbled her lower lip, arms curled about her knees as she sat on the huge, squishy leather sectional.

"Bella?"

The girl glanced at her, eyes troubled. "Hmm?"

"What happened?"

"Lauren had me."

Huh? What did  _that_ mean? "How did she have you? I know she embarrassed you with her questions but you answered?" Granted she'd not thought that the girl had gone as far as she must have with Edward, but she'd not lied. That much had been clear despite how drunk Bella had been at the time. She'd said one boyfriend, and that had been the truth. She'd said she had both kissed and touched according to Lauren's specifications. Also the truth. Not that she'd really been obligated to answer that second question because the rules stated only one question per round.

"She wanted me to say I never had kissed of touched someone. She had me, and I would have had to admit to it."

"But you didn't lie." Angela must have been fuzzier this morning than she'd realized, because she just wasn't getting it.

"I didn't lie. It was the truth." Bella's eyes were  _willing_ her to understand without her having to spell it out.

And Angela suddenly got it. Lauren had had Bella under her thumb until  _Paul_  had arrived, then Bella had come back, her lips as rosy as her cheeks. Her head had been held high as she admitted that she had been physically intimate with a male as per Lauren's standards. Not that she hadn't paid the price for her honesty, because everyone had started hooting in glee. Everyone except for Mike, who had stopped smiling and had in fact scowled. Last night, Angela had thought it was just because Bella was proving to be not as innocent as she looked. She knew that lots of guys had a thing about innocent girls, something about getting there first. And at the time, she had thought that it was ridiculous to be jealous over a relationship long over.

It  _still_ was, because Mike had no clue about where Paul was in regards to his friendship with Bella.

But Angela knew better. Somehow, instinct said that there was more to that picture than the two of them were admitting to. Maybe they were simply working at cross purposes, or maybe both were just stubborn. Or maybe Paul was indeed only biding his time till he pounced, though there was never anything overt on his part. Then there was Bella, who was obstinately clinging to this strange notion that Paul  _was_ only and  _could_ only ever be her platonic friend. Whatever it was, the two had been locked into this strange song and dance for as long as they had been friends.

Because no one who looked at a girl the way Paul occasionally watched Bella, like he was hunting his next meal, could be so completely anti-sexual like Bella claimed.

Still, it had to be frustrating as hell for Bella, laboring under her delusions as she was. She knew that Paul had had a rough upbringing, apparently being a very angry child and teenager had had a detrimental effect on how he was seen by his tribe, causing them to ostracize him from an early age instead of trying to understand him. Granted as big and angry as he had been, it might have proved difficult, but the effort  _should_ have been made regardless, Angela felt.

And for all of that, Bella apparently felt that Paul was somehow so emotionally stunted or deprived that he was incapable of romantic regard.

Angela doubted that conclusion. Severely. He was far too physically friendly with the little brunette for it to be anything but attraction on his part. At least, she believed that to be the case. She had never met anyone like him before. Never heard of a friendship like theirs where the pair slept together in the same bed and were practically inseparable without there at least being some underlying attraction. She knew Bella was attracted to  _him_. That she loved the man was pretty clear.

"Bella," Angela began somewhat hesitantly. "I know that you insist that you two are just friends, but…if what you're saying is what I  _think_ you're saying then…that's not the act of a friend. That was something a little more personal."

Bella absently nibbled a fingernail as she pondered. But then Angela could practically see her tuck tail and metaphorically run. "He only did it because of Lauren, though. I mean, there I was complaining about having to fess up to my lack of experience and all. Pretty sure he only did it so I could save face in front of everyone."

"Bella…no guy lets you touch his junk if he's feeling platonic." Angela was pretty sure she had that right at least.

Bella's face flamed. "They do if they don't understand that it's not something friends are supposed to do."

The taller girl almost rolled her eyes. Bella could be so stubborn! "Was he soft?" she finally asked bluntly

"Huh?"

"When you touched him. Was he soft? Because to my knowledge, guys don't get hard over something that disgusts them."

Bella gaped at her. But Angela could see the wheels begin to start turning in her hung-over brain.

For her own part, Bella had never stopped to consider that. He'd been anything but soft under her touch, as unyielding there as he was everywhere. But then again, it could also be written off to the friction caused by the bike he rode. Bella had squirmed a time or two, herself, after riding that monster. That he used that simple physiological response to her benefit was just like him.

Angela sighed. She could already see the self-delusion taking over the other girl's mind. It was funny, but while Bella could be amazingly insightful about a number of things, she could be completely blind sometimes when it came to Paul. She could never believe that the man might be as attracted to her as she was to him.

But that might also have to do with what Edward had done to her. That, and it was kind of in her blood to take a long ass time to get over being left behind. Her father had taken thirteen  _years_ to get over  _his_ dumping by Bella's mother. But it had left both of them with a bit of an inferiority complex despite their amazing looks and personalities.

Bella might  _never_  believe that Paul could want more from her as long as they stuck to the status quo.

"Bella, you need to talk to him." Angela could insist on that at the very least.

"I know. I know, I just…don't really know what to say. Thank you for saving my ass yet again, though I wish you hadn't done it that way because it's harder to go back to how we were before that?" Bella rolled her eyes. Sure she had enjoyed it…she'd been practically handed an engraved invitation to maul him, no matter that she'd not really taken him up on it. She was pretty sure she'd have to be either stone cold dead or mentally unbalanced not to have enjoyed being kissed like that. "I was just a little too drunk to figure out what the hell to say to him last night. My head was spinning and it was all I could do to walk a straight line to get back to the house.

Angela imagined that being kissed to within an inch of her life might also have had something to do with it, but she wasn't going to continue harping. Bella would get it eventually. Hopefully.

The two girls had absently begun gathering up piles of trash as they had talked, and Angela finally gave in and went to hunt down garbage bags. Her inner clean-freak was clamoring for release and there was plenty of fodder for its needs. When she got back, the pile of trash had grown to respectable proportions and Bella had moved onto the main room so Angela shrugged, bagged the monstrous pile before following along behind hurricane Bella as she worked. The two were of a kind and couldn't really stand a pointless mess.

Halfway through cleaning the crap out of the party room, the room itself slowly began to fill up with the fuzzy-headed and the straight-up hung-over. Ben, one of the sole exceptions along with his girlfriend, quietly stepped over and leaned up to press a kiss to her cheek before wandering into the kitchen to begin starting on a bland but greasy breakfast for the roiling stomachs of those who could actually eat. Some were already carefully stepping about with the determined air of someone who thought jarring their head would have them running for the nearest bathroom to worship the porcelain bowl. Green complected and wincing at the slamming pain in their heads.

He could only be thankful that he really didn't like the smell or taste of alcohol.

Cause Mike looked like pounded crap as he stepped gingerly though the door into the kitchen. He'd been out in the pool house, and had walked across the yard in sleep pants and a sweatshirt. Still, he'd take 'hung-over Mike' to 'pissy Mike' any day, because he and Erik had had to listen to the boy whine and carry on about Bella for hours after she'd come back inside from meeting whomever had brought her overnight bag over for her.

Erik had finally excused himself to sleep his drunkenness off and looked to be much better off than Mike. Unfortunately, last night that had left him with the duty to play comforting friend as Mike rambled on and on about what a good boyfriend he would make to Chief Swan's daughter. Ben was too polite to roll his eyes, but he had wanted to a number of times. He'd gotten a good look at the man Bella was usually out and about with and he had to say that in terms of looks (he knew precious little about him otherwise) Paul had no equal in their small town, despite Mike's bitching about giving himself a fair shake because wasn't he good looking enough?

Ben was also a realist, because even he could see what Angela had been noticing…that Paul would occasionally watch Bella like some small, tasty bit of prey that he was just dying to pounce on. Smart guys just noticed shit like this. Smart girls, too, because Angela had been the one to point it out.

Now for the quandary.

Bella was smart. At times, astoundingly… _frighteningly_ so. But she could never seem to see what was so obvious to her two friends. Paul wasn't always stone-faced. Granted he could be difficult as all hell to read, subtle as the Mona Lisa herself on most occasions. And most days, Bella could read every expression on his face. But one. Because Want? That seemed to slide right by her notice.

Ben could only shake his head as the two girls wandered about the kitchen, cleaning up beer cans (the beer itself being provided for the party by Lauren's slightly obnoxious older brother) and empty red and green Solo cups full of mixed drinks. Again provided by the brother and his equally entitled friends.

Their conversation was too quiet to overhear, if he had been the type to want to eavesdrop. But from the frustration on his girlfriend's face, he could only have been one of a handful of topics, and the most glaring of those was the semi/sort of/will they/won't they dance Bella and Paul seemed to be locked into.

He was just glad that it wasn't his place to try and knock some sense into the hard-headed girl.

Feeling Ben's eyes upon her, Angela turned to face her boyfriend and smiled, rolling her eyes playfully as Bella continued to enumerate all the ways her upcoming conversation with Paul could possibly go wrong. Because she had decided that the taller girl was right. She needed to get some of this off her chest before it absolutely  _crushed_ her. Sure, she might stand to lose Paul, but it was just a risk she would have to take, because she  _needed_ to tell him how she felt about him. She couldn't let him keep crossing lines, either accidentally or on purpose if he couldn't follow through, because it just hurt far too much.

She was so stuck in dreading the worst that she almost missed the faint clearing of a throat. Whipping about, she was surprised to see a slightly nervous looking Jessica standing there. The other short-stack brunette was glancing about as if searching for something, and not finding it, she heaved a tiny sigh of relief.

"Bella. I needed to talk to you."

"…Okay?" Jessica hadn't wanted to have much to do with her after her ill-thought-out avoidance of everyone human during her time with the Cullens. That she felt the need to seek her out now was kind of interesting, but Bella also didn't feel like stringing the girl along, so she stepped into the hallway, Jessica following closely along behind her.

"Here good?" she asked as Jessica once more glanced about shiftily.

"Yeah. Sure. Um…about last night."

Bella's stomach rolled over with dread. Her heart lurched, then pounded, and all she could do was wait for the worst as the other girl cast about mentally for the words she wanted to say. She was almost certain that she didn't want to hear them, because Jessica was almost as big a gossip as Lauren, and if she were just here for a better scoop on what had come out last night, then Bella was gonna turn into a gibbering idiot while attempting to come up with a good cover-story for the information she had let slip the night before.

"I wanted to say that I thought Lauren was a little too focused on you last night. I know she wanted to embarrass you, but that was a little too personal. You should have taken the dare, to be honest. It might have been a bit less damaging. "

Bella's brows lifted in shock. She'd been expecting the worst, and this was anything but. And while, yeah, she might have wished that everyone else might know a bit less about her personal life,  _she_ had been the one to open her big drunken mouth and spill her guts. She'd never blame anyone else for that, not even Lauren for asking in the first place.

"Anyway. I just wanted to say sorry about that." She watched Bella for a moment, before leaning in. "And that if you ever tell anyone I said any of it, I'll deny it," she concluded, a fierce light in her blue eyes.

Bella leaned away from her a bit, back hitting the wall as her own eyes widened. "Got it."

Jessica gave her a firm nod, before disappearing, presumably to rejoin Lauren's little group of harpies. Bella watched her go, eyes still wide as Angela made her way over to her. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Not allowed to talk about it," Bella said with a faint grin. "But everything is peachy."

}:{

Bella shivered as she stood in the bathroom, wrapped in a towel after washing away the lingering traces of last night's drunken stupidity. Her eyes were still a bit red but she no longer appeared as if she belonged in the drunk tank.

Ugh, her dad would have been so disappointed in her for having caved to peer pressure…

The girl in the mirror eyed her disapprovingly and Bella squirmed under her regard. She already had enough problems to worry about without her reflection giving her the hairy eyeball for her misdeeds. Sticking her tongue out, she left the bathroom and walked into her own room, shutting the door. After making certain that she was alone, no ninja Were's lurking in the corners, she dropped the towel and moved towards her dresser, quickly pulling on her underthings before glancing at the bed.

Paul's shirt lay atop her comforter.

When he had brought her a bag last night, it had been a mix of things. A long shirt of his to sleep in, and her underthings. Her pants, another shirt of his to wear for the day, and a new tooth brush because she didn't have one at his house. She'd have to thank him for his thoroughness before she metaphorically buried herself.

The shirt she was looking at was the very first thing she had ever seen him in. Blue-grey and soft as hell, it zipped all the way up the front with a black collar and sleeve-bands. It actually made a rather attractive dress on her curvy frame, though it looked a billion times better on him, because there was something about that ringed zipper as it zipped halfway up his neck that faintly suggested an entirely different kind of collar. The leather kind with-

Bella shook her head. Here she was, quite possibly standing to lose her best friend after the coming confrontation and she couldn't get that particular image out of her head.

She was such a horrible pervert!

Glancing at the shirt again as she pulled on a pair of soft-worn jeans, she finally shrugged. She might never get to wear something of his again after this and she wanted to feel close to him for as long as she was able before she lost him for good. She knew she'd give it back to him when it was all said and done, but...a few more minutes of denial wouldn't hurt anyone but herself.

After towel-drying her hair as much as possible, Bella brushed it and let it do its own thing, not really caring how she looked for the time being. She felt miserable enough, so what if she looked the part?

}:{

The drive was quiet and almost peaceful in the wake of the party and Bella found herself actually humming along with an old tune on the radio as she turned off onto the highway.

But it didn't stop her stomach from churning or her mind from making mental checklists of all the things that needed to be said. She knew she would have to draw the line for the very first time, because it was far too hard on her to remain where they were when he stepped over the boundaries of friendship. The first kiss could be written off to vengeance on a foolish young man who didn't have any idea just how close he had come to disaster.

But the second?

Because she had been mulling over what Angela had told her. Friends did  _not_ kiss friends the way Paul had kissed her. Too intimate and far too personal…and yet, not enough to sate the craving she was developing for him. It wasn't  _fair_ to give her a taste of what she could have and then take it away again! The… _touching_ …that he had encouraged just then had been a shock to her, because for as much as she had once pushed Edward for more, she herself had absolutely as little experience as the Vampire had had in that department.

That Paul had been hard under her touch was another consideration entirely, because Angela was right. She clearly remembered the way he had pushed into her hand only moments before his kiss had stopped being a gentle, teasing thing and become something that made her whole body flush just  _thinking_  about it.

Driving through the reservation, then turning off onto the dirt road that lead to Paul's cabin, she could feel her heart steadily climb up into her throat, making it hard to swallow. She almost wanted to turnabout and escape, pretend that everything was just fine, but the same thing that had gotten her into trouble the night before steeled her backbone. Because of all things, Bella wasn't a coward. She could be an adult about this, even if she just wanted to run in and cuddle up to him like she was used to when she was upset. Funny how the thing that would give comfort was the very thing that she might need to demand a stop to…

Finally pulling into the driveway, she sat there for a few more minutes, trying to pull herself back together. She had things she needed to say, and if she didn't get them said, she knew she would never forgive herself for being such a little wimp.

Pulling the keys from the ignition, she zipped up her hoody to help block out some of the chill winter air, squared her shoulders, and then climbed out of the truck.

Smoke drifted up from the chimney and Bella could feel a tiny part of her mourn that she wouldn't get to cuddle up to him in front of the fire. Shuffling up the walkway, she wondered if she would even be there long enough for her engine to cool, because she didn't want to drive back in the storm without heat.

Reaching the door, she was just lifting her hand to knock when the door opened to show Paul standing in the doorway and Bella just wanted to reach out and touch him.

Ripping her eyes away from the pretty picture he presented, she forced herself to look him in the eyes. Eyes that were curious and questioning as he slowly held the door open in invitation. "Didn't expect to see you till tomorrow." His tone was mellow as Bella ducked under his arm to enter his home.

His brows pulled together in question at her expression, but Bella simply stood there and gazed into the fire. She could do this. She  _had_ to do this. With him no longer in her line of sight, it was a tiny bit easier to concentrate on what she needed to say, though it hurt not to look at him.

"We need to talk."

}:{

Fear. Sadness. Anxiety. Relief. Frustration. Shame.

So many emotions chased themselves across the girl's face that if he hadn't of had a good working understanding of what made Bella Swan tick, he might actually have gotten whiplash.

Lips twisting up into a feral smile, he waited her out. Because he always seemed to be waiting when it came to her. A pattern that had been established early on in their relationship. Even from that very first night. He had led her to the path, waiting for her to follow him, even if just with her eyes. Those hungry cinnamon eyes that devoured him like he wanted to devour her.

Amused as fuck, Paul watched as Bella shifted anxiously from foot to small foot, no doubt mentally enumerating all the different ways she could go about this. But brave as she was, she couldn't even look him in the face, and that told him all he needed to know. Because the simple truth was, the little female had come into his home hunting a confrontation that he knew damned well she wasn't truly ready for.

Innocence was a funny thing.

He cocked his head as he watched her. Because it bled off her in waves.

Making her want him? That had been the easy part. She had wanted him from the very first moment, even as she tried to deny it. Her eyes always told the truth, helplessly drifting over him before forcing herself to act like nothing had changed. Smiling nervously, because he knew exactly how dangerous he came across as even as he pretended to be housebroken. He'd never acted so tame in his life, but it had been worth it as the girl came at his urging, shivering under his touch like the innocent little thing he had discovered her to be. Drunk off his ass he may have been, but he couldn't fail to smell her reaction to the simple puff of air he had blown across the vulnerable nape of her neck. Her scent had spiked and it had been all he could do to stop from bending her over the front of his bike. His smile had turned distinctly malicious behind her back and he'd had the pleasure of seeing that blond boy-bitch recoil. Smell his scent sour with traces of fear even as disappointment covered his face.

That she had tried to trick him into her bed for his own safety had been a laugh. But her well-intentioned earnestness had gotten to him like nothing else and he'd followed along behind that curvy ass like a beast on a leash as it climbed the stairs in front of him. And again, drunk as he had been, he would likely have followed it to hell and back. Hate had been the very last thing on his mind, because the only thing he could think of just then was getting himself wrapped around that gorgeous little body.

"I know that we've gotten a lot closer than most friends," Bella began hesitantly, and Paul forced himself to stop smiling. She was trying to be serious and he was going to respect it. "We're always together. We sleep in the same bed. And I know a lot of it is my own fault for allowing it, but I think in some ways…we might be  _too_ close. Friends, well  _normal friends_  anyway, don't act the way we do."

That damned innocence again. She assumed that he didn't know damned well that they had crossed lines. He had gleefully stomped all over them and she had let him with a guiltlessness that stated more clearly than words that she didn't truly understand what she had let him do. Because she had let him into her life. Let him claw his way into her tender heart.

"It may not have been intentional, but I think I depend on you far too much. And while I appreciate that you let me lean on you so much, I think certain healthy boundaries got crossed. I didn't understand what I was asking of you. But now I do. And I wish you hadn't let me have so much of you, because it hurts so much that you don't reciprocate my feelings."

She wrapped her arms about herself, looking smaller than he'd ever seen before.

So that was it. She assumed that he was simply too emotionally retarded to see the forest for the trees. Too developmentally fucked up to give her what she didn't even want to admit she wanted from him. Too God damned innocent, himself, to see just how much she wanted him.

Innocent. He wanted to snort in derision. The word implied a certain purity of thought, and he was anything but pure. Because while she assumed that he existed in an asexual bubble due to his upbringing, he knew that he'd quite happily fuck her until her pretty legs buckled.

"You know I care about you," he hedged.

She winced, and he knew that it was a cool, pale imitation of what she so desperately wanted, yet despaired of ever hearing. "I know you do," she agreed.

He remembered the very first time he'd known she wanted him as something more than casual. The day he'd saved her from the Newton twerp in the men's bathroom in the mall. The way her eyes had dilated and the way the sweet/tart scent of her had washed over his senses had spoken the words for her. It had been much the same the very first time he had gotten her onto his bike, letting her steer the beast while he balanced it for her. He hadn't been able to help pressing himself against her slim back, settling the hard lines of his body into the softer curves of hers. And he'd been fucking lucky that he usually had such precise control over his body or she'd have had a lot more to deal with than stumbling at his proximity.

But it had been near cruelty to have her wrapped around his body in that damned toilet stall because his control that day had been for crap. That was the day that he had nearly flipped his shit and torn the Newton boy apart when he'd heard the kid practically stalking the girl. He hadn't really understood the protective impulse, but he'd nearly followed through on it when Bella herself had stopped him with a tiny hand about his own. And just like that, the need to feel the kid screaming under his hands had bled away into simple drunken humor.

So he'd gone along with it. Let her have her way and copped a quick feel while he was at it. He wasn't going to deny it. He'd had her up off the ground, knees squeezing against his hips just bare moments before the boy following her walked through the door. And he'd had to hand it to her, the Sprite in the toilet had been pure genius.

Telling her that he didn't like to be touched had been a double-edged sword in the silence following the shorter male's departure. He'd guessed, correctly, that she would feel that it applied to her as well, so imagine his surprise when the girl grew a set and practically climbed into his lap to get Jacob to piss off. He'd found the whole situation pretty damned funny. Even helped her pull it off better by pulling her in closer.

The pissy look on the boy's face had totally been worth every second of discomfort…if he had actually felt any. Because he'd begun noticing a few things about Miss Bella Swan. Such as the fact that that hungry ache that he'd never before been able to assuage, no matter how much he ate, who's face he'd pounded with his fists, or how much alcohol he drank? That thing that drove him like a particularly vicious jockey spurring away at a man-killing horse? It lessoned to a degree in her presence. He'd first taken note of it when he had left her after that very first day when it came roaring back and in his rage, he'd ploughed a fist through a tree.

The supermarket meeting had just confirmed his suspicions, and that minor touch had settled him for the first time in days.

He didn't know how she did it, or even  _why_ it was her, but he wasn't about to discount it. It also didn't hurt that the girl was like sex waiting to happen. Warm and soft and trying so hard not to want him the way she did. And he couldn't even begin to count the nights he'd fought his body not to respond as he had lain next to her because she was naïve and delicious with huge eyes that ate him alive while he selfishly loved every second of it.

It had been so incredibly easy to invite her into his life. To lure her into wanting him to the exclusion of all else. Subtlety here, blatancy there, with a touch of feigned clumsiness to make it all palatable to the innocent young girl he had apparently deceived into thinking that he would never be more than her friend.

He'd known from the get-go that the only way past her defenses was to start from the beginning. Friendship built slowly and over time because she was so guarded after her experience with the leech. Not that he could blame her, there, because no one deserved to get treated that way, especially the soft-hearted Bella.

Jacob had also fallen away from her due to his own jealous stupidity, leaving Paul with a great deal more time to get to know the girl without the Baby-Alpha constantly breathing down her neck. He had slowly taken the boy's place and more as she all too trustingly let him in.

It had started with casual, gentle touches so as not to spook her. But she had been so hungry for contact that it became a torture to not let her slide too swiftly down the slope into his grasp. Because  _too_ quickly would have had her turn tail and bolt like a startled doe. Too slowly would have had an equally deleterious effect on the girl's growing need for him, quite possibly leaving her to turn her affections elsewhere in a desperate need to feel that rush.

_He would have likely killed whomever dared to try and take her from him…_

Because the Devil had her by the heart and he wasn't about to let her go.

So he had bided his time and like any good hunter, he allowed his prey to walk blindly into his arms. Played the sexless best friend, let her get as physically comfortable with him as a lover would be without the pressure of reciprocated need. And she had come willingly. Sweetly and recklessly stepping into the trap with her generous, gentle self as prize for his patience.

Days of letting her stroke him like a favored pet. Not that he'd ever minded, those slim fingers sliding through his hair and gently raking down his neck and shoulders were their own form of reward. Letting her wrap her warm little body around his own in her bed compensated by her ever-growing trust in him. Holding her in the darkness as she slept while he forced his libido to downshift. And through it all, he was so very aware of how her body reacted to his own, the way arousal would darken her eyes and bring a flush to her cheeks. The scent of her spiking in a rush through his senses.

Not that he hadn't had moments of pure, blinding frustration. Moments where it was all he could do to keep himself leashed before he could scare her by prying those curvy legs apart and  _licking_ up the taste that surely matched that particular scent. Those had been the days that he was unable to completely contain all signs of arousal on his part and he'd been damned glad that she was too sleepy to notice it.

Other issues had also arisen. The boy in the theater who had cornered her? Threatening to rip the little bastard's hands off for attempting to touch her might not have been well done of him, but he'd have done it in a second if she'd have asked it of him. The day that he had come in to find his own cousin flapping his lips about her? He'd barely restrained himself from setting about discovering just how much pain a Wolf could endure before the shock of it killed him.

The dumb-fuck redhead in Jacksonville? He'd put his lips where they clearly weren't wanted, after putting his hands on her in the first place. That the pitcher could still throw balls was a testament to Bella's desire to keep Paul out of jail for breaking a human.

That she had endured her grandfather's censure for his sake was something he  _hadn't_ anticipated.

He'd expected to be some kind of guilty pleasure to the girl for a while until she got used to him, but she had treated him like a valued friend even to her own family's face right from the start. And hadn't that been a shock, because Charlie had still reeked of anxiety at that point whenever in Paul's company. He couldn't look Paul in the eyes even on the best of days and for Bella to expect him to treat Paul as well as he had Jacob had been a stretch.

"The kissing has to stop. Not because I don't like it. But because I like it too much," Bella said, a small hitch in her voice and Paul forced his head back into the game. "I don't want lose my friendship with you, because you're my very best friend. But I can't keep letting things go on like this, because eventually we might cross a line that you won't forgive me for," she ended miserably.

Paul slowly shook his head in bemusement. "It amazes me," he growled quietly.

Bella finally turned to face him, eyes searching his face for the condemnation she was expecting. But failing to find it, she drew herself up straighter. "What does?"

"Where you must have gotten all of this utter bullshit," he stated bluntly.

Bella flinched. "What do you mean?"

He stepped forward slowly, watching as the girl fought not to back away from the sudden predacious glint he knew must have sparked into his alien eyes. "So much crap about being friends. Surely you can see it by now."

The girl suddenly back-peddled as he continued to crowd her.

"I don't…what's wrong with you? Why are you acting this way? If it was something I said last night, I'm sorry!" She looked even more miserable as she continued to back away.

"That's a damned good question," Paul purred, gratified to see the girl shiver as her back met the wall. "What  _is_  wrong with me? Might have nothing to do with you letting me kiss you last night. Might have everything to do with you coming here and trying to take yourself away from me."

"You're not making any sense! You set the boundaries at the very beginning and I respected you enough to abide by them! Now you're saying that we're not even friends anymore?" Bella's eyes flashed with a sudden passion that he could practically taste and it was all he could do not to drop her and spread her right there on his floor. His could feel his lips tipping upward into a predator's grin, enjoying the rebellion in her as he advanced on her.

"And you're so sure that's all we are, girl? Friends and no more? That's it, end of the line?"

"What else is there?" Her lower lip protruded slightly into a stubborn moue and he found himself wanting to nibble on it.

"And if I say that I want you?" he pushed, ducking down to run his lips along her pulse, enjoying the shuddering of her body in his arms as he leaned into her, chest crushing against her breasts. Little hands skated up his arms and over his shoulders, helplessly stroking him through the soft crushed velvet. "And not in a friendly way."

He could practically feel her sudden recoil and mentally cursed. Her body went stiff in his hold and a hiccup of a sob escaped her.

"But I love you," she whispered, so quietly that even with his enhanced senses he could scarcely hear her. He could feel her begin to collapse in on herself and chuckled quietly. Her eyes shot up, her face crumpling as her dark eyes turned watery. "I hadn't thought you'd be so cruel about it."

He shook his head before pressing his forehead to hers. "Such a silly thing you are," he rumbled, feeling her hands tighten into his shirt as her huge eyes sought his, going practically cross-eyed with the attempt. "I thought you'd figure it out by now. You're the only person I know  _how_ to love."

Bella gasped. And not the little girly-type gasps that he was used to when females first caught sight of him. This was a full-body 'can't get enough air' type of gasp that had her shaking and weak-kneed in his grasp. Paul couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as he leaned down and brushed his lips against her own, satisfied as the girl let out a husky little murmur of pleasure at the touch.

"But how could you love me," she mumbled against his lips. "All that time, and I thought all you could ever feel for me was friendship? I was gearing myself up to never get to speak to you again when you found out, and now…?"

"Now?" he repeated, gently stroking his tongue along that lush bottom lip before pressing his lips back to her own.

"Now?" she questioned back, suddenly appearing lost in the middle of the conversation. She tried to follow his lips with her own, eyes hazy.

Obliging her, he kissed her as slowly and sweetly as he knew how, biting back a growl as slim fingers raked through his hair and then fisted as if she could hold him there. And she could, because he'd give her everything, anything at all if she desired it of him. His hands came down from where they had been braced against the wall, sliding around her waist and pulling her body up into his until her legs curled across the small of his back. One hand drifted downwards from her waist and palmed a firm, round cheek as he rolled his hips into hers, purring roughly against her lips as she squeaked in surprise. His kiss turned rough for a moment, before gentling again as she stroked her fingers along the nape of his neck.

Finally, he pulled back to let her breathe. Her chest had begun to heave against his and while he enjoyed having such an effect on the girl, he didn't want her passing out. Her doe eyes drifted open as he pressed a quick kiss to the corner of her lips and he smiled as they slowly lifted to his. "There you are," he murmured as Bella's eyes began to focus again.

She smiled uncertainly, cheeks a bit rosy as she pressed her palms flat against his chest. "Um…I think I need to get down," she said quietly. "Can't think real well with you this close."

She really shouldn't be giving away such knowledge to the 'enemy', but he shrugged and let her down, observing as she stepped back towards the middle of the room while she apprehensively fiddled with the hem of her hoody. He put his back to the wall as he watched her pace, unashamedly on display because if he couldn't touch her he'd make damned sure he stacked the deck in his favor. She glanced back at him again, eyes widening as she got a good look at him and he couldn't help the smug quirk of his lips as she blushed harder, leaving him to wonder just how far down it went. Yeah, he was hard as fuck. Not like he could hide it at this point and he really didn't feel like trying to force it down just to make her more comfortable.

She looked away, biting her lip uncertainly. Poor thing was unused to such blatant behavior. At the moment, however.  _But oh, give him time…_

"I don't…know what to say. I mean, what do I say? You're you. Special even above and beyond being a Shape-shifter. You're this amazing person and I'm just…Book Girl. The girl who ran with Vampires and now runs with Wolves. The smart girl or the Chief's daughter. Yeah I'm book smart, but in street smarts, I kinda suck. I'm average in looks and personality, and-"

Paul snorted, eyes narrowing on her earnest little face. "Such well-spoken bullshit. You can't really be this blind."

"Blind? How am I blind? I'm realistic. I mean, look at me Paul! I get good grades, and I'd like to think that I make a good friend. So I'm pretty enough by high-school-girl standards, big freakin' whoop! I'm also short and yeah I've got some okay curves but they're nothing to write home over!"

Paul groaned and let his head fall back against the wall with a thump. "Christ, Bella. You have got to be the blindest girl I've ever met." Leaning forward again, he deliberately let his gaze rake over a body that could drive him to distraction and quite frequently did. "You could make me fucking crawl for you if you so chose."

Bella blushed harder, something he loved to see, then opened her mouth before her brain seemed to actually catch up with her. "Yeah, like  _you'd_ actually crawl for anyone!"

He felt his lips tipping upward with pure wickedness as he slid down the wall until he'd dropped to the floor. "Is that so?" he purred as he slowly prowled forward on his knees toward the girl who suddenly gasped and stumbled backwards with a familiar, adorable squeak. Something had occurred to her and digging it out of her would be a pure pleasure.

He was almost on her when she tripped over the corner of the ottoman, dropping her into his arms. Laying her out on the wooden floor, he came down atop her, bracing himself up on his forearms to keep from crushing her. She wouldn't look him in the eye, however, her face now resembling a tomato.

Nuzzling her neck, he chuckled against her soft skin.  _Oh, he was going to love this game…_  "Tell me."

She squeaked again, trying not to move. "Tell you what?"

"Your heart is racing." A gentle scrape of teeth along her clavicle as he pulled down the zipper on her hoody. "You smell like nervousness." A press of lips to the underside of her jaw. "You're just short of hyperventilating." He dropped a thigh down between hers and rocked himself against her. "So tell me…what exactly was it that you just thought of?"

Her legs clamped shut around his, her small hands raking nails up his back under velvet as she bucked under him in helpless response, ripping a hiss of pure pleasure from between his clenched teeth. "When I met you, I…I had this thought." She gasped as he rocked into her again, prompting her along. "That you would be far too much for me to handle…even with both hands and a shock-collar."

Even he could hear the dark humor lacing his tone as his voice roughened further. "And…?"

"And I…I had this other thought that putting a leash on you might be kind of…interesting," she moaned as his lips found a particularly sensitive place on her fragile neck and sucked.

"Now that  _is_ interesting," he responded, kissing the small red mark he'd pulled to the surface, not at all surprised by the sense of satisfaction he had in knowing that he'd marked her. "Because I'm rather inclined to let you."

Then he was silencing her stuttering shock with his lips, this artless young girl he loved who hadn't the faintest idea of what she had just let herself in for with her latest admission. Because, while generally he was no one's submissive, the thought of her naked and riding him at a break-neck gallop with a collar locked around his neck was beyond merely… _interesting_.

She squirmed under him as he shifted to gain more contact, carefully lowering his weight onto one arm to free the other. His now freed hand slid up her bare back under her borrowed shirt, fingers skating across the band of her bra as he was tempted to snap the clasp open. Her legs once more locked around his waist and she clung tightly as if fearing that he intended to escape her, but he had no intentions of-

_Oh, you have got to be fucking with me,_  he mentally growled as his phone went off yet again.

He would have simply ignored it, but Bella had already pulled back, a wild look in her eye as if she'd been caught doing something naughty. She very nearly had been and  _he_ was the something naughty.

Baring his suddenly sharp teeth, he forced himself up onto his knees, very nearly groaning at the sight of her laid out before him. She was flushed with kiss-swollen lips as she sprawled on her back in a tangle of his clothing, legs spread around his as if inviting him back.

The third time his phone rang, he practically ripped it out of his pocket. Hitting accept, he forced himself to at least pretend politeness as he throttled back a vicious growl. "What do you need?"

"Well hello to you, too. Caught you at a bad time, I take it?" Haven's deep voice echoed across the airwaves, clear amusement coloring it.

"Haven." The warning was clear in his tone…either talk or get the fuck off the line.

The other man sighed. "We're short a pair of bartenders. Kell had to go to the hospital because his sister was in a fender-bender and Colt is stuck in traffic on his way back from Seattle. I need you to come in for a few hours."

Paul grit his teeth, just managing to keep the sound that wanted to emerge behind them. "I'm not a bartender."

"You have an eidetic memory. You know how to mix drinks. Bring Bella, you can teach her. It's a slow night and I will pay her for her time. Besides, she so damned cute, they'd pay to watch her serve them water."

Paul rolled his eyes, no longer even surprised that Haven already knew she was there. The man always knew shit he shouldn't have been able to, no use getting bent over it. "Fine. Forty minutes." Then he hung up.

Turning to face the girl who still looked a bit mauled, he felt a reluctant smile curl his lips. "Haven needs an extra pair of hands."

Bella looked disappointed, but pushed a hand through her hair and gave him a game smile. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

Snorting, Paul got to his feet, tugging her up with him. "Actually, it's  _your_ hands he's requesting. Feel like earning a few extra bucks?"

Blinking, she eyed him uncertainly. "What could he need  _me_ for? Not that I wouldn't help him if he needed it," she insisted. He knew she had a soft spot for his boss and the feeling was entirely mutual.

"Well, it's a rule that we always have a pair of bartenders, no matter how slow the night. It's a safety thing for the bartenders, buddy system and all that shit in case the customers get disorderly. Now, I could hold the bar alone because not many people actually think they want to fuck with me. But rules are rules and Haven won't break them. He's supposed to be doing payroll tonight or he'd be manning the bar himself. So you can come, if you like. Keep me company?" He wasn't ashamed to whip out the sympathy card, watching as she crumbled with an uncertain grin. But Christ was he going to catch hell when Sam heard that he took the man's baby sister into a bar and let her serve liquor to a bunch of bunch of rowdy jocks and college girls.

His lips curved upwards into a grin. He could hardly wait.

}:{

The trees were beautiful in the winter, Sam decided with a yawn as he lumbered through the snow-drifts. The sun was just beginning to set and he'd actually been looking forward to this patrol because of the clear, peaceful landscape. No other Wolves to bother him except for his patrol partner, and she wasn't likely to speak to him anyway. Not that he could blame her, because who in their right mind wanted a clear, unimpeded view into their old lover's mind when the new lover happened to cross it?

He tended to avoid pairing himself with Leah out of courtesy's sake but he couldn't always avoid it. He wanted to say that they were starting to come to an understanding, but she'd been a bit squirrely lately whenever he was around her. Shrugging, he kept his questions to himself, because if she was going to so much trouble to keep whatever it was close to the vest, then it really might not be any of his business and since Sam wasn't a busybody he was going to leave her be.

Leah was smart and capable, so whatever it was, he felt certain that she could likely handle it if given the time and opportunity to do so.

Familiar sounds reached his ears as he changed course and loped along the well-traveled path through the woods. He ducked trees and dodged bushes, eyes peeled for anything that didn't belong and nose lifted to catch any stray scents. It was as he was twisting through a pair of trees along the path that something strange caught his notice. He usually had no problems getting through those two, but today they caught at his sides a little more closely than he'd like. As a result, he was forced to place his forepaw a bit oddly to compensate for the change in pace.

Sam blinked. Then came to a dead stop. Stunned into stillness, his eyes reluctantly dropped to the ground beneath him, only to make out a strange pair of paws.

Those couldn't be his!

Lifting one to inspect it, the claws were long and razor sharp as they gleamed dully in the light. The paw itself was absolutely enormous, actually making a mockery of his more familiar Wolf's paws. The pads were thicker than usual, though just as black as he remembered, but that was the only similarity.

Dread began to build in his heart as he turned over his shoulder to glance at the rest of him… because that wasn't a wolven body he was suddenly inhabiting. He was at least a foot taller and significantly broader than he had been. Sitting down proved to be more difficult as well, because his ass had significantly more junk in the trunk than he was used to, but he did manage it.

Patting gingerly at his face yielded similar changes. Short, rounded ears and a blunt muzzle with a decidedly 'dished' feel to it.

Biting back his panic, he mentally called out to his Patrol partner.

_"Leah?"_

No answer. He waited a few more moments just in case she was simply feeling contrary, but there wasn't even the whisper of an answer in the Pack-mind.

_"Leah? C'mon, stop fucking around! This isn't funny!"_

Was she okay? Did something happen to her?! They may not be together anymore but he still cared a great deal for her! She would always be his first love. Worry for the only female Wolf beginning to override his panic for himself, he threw back his head to howl for the Pack…but all that came out was a deep, growling roar.

A sound that utterly shocked the man locked inside of whatever new sort of hell  _this_  was, because it was a familiar sound. And deep inside his mind, Sam screamed…

…and sat up in bed with a choked off  _human_ cry of utter terror.

Blinking his eyes rapidly, Sam realized that he must have been having some twisted new nightmare.

He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes and groaned. He tended to repress those first few petrified days he had lived as a Wolf. That his imagination chose  _now_ to pester him with a different yet eerily similar sort of nightmare was just so not cool.

Forcing himself to take deep, calming breaths, he got himself under control, faintly glad that Emily was still out visiting relatives because this would have only worried her. He  _hated_ to worry her for nothing more than a stupid dream.

Throwing back the covers, Sam realized that he was soon due out on Patrol with Leah and got out of bed, ignoring the fact that he was just a bit shaky still and padded barefoot into the bathroom to throw some cool water on his face. The cold air from the open window didn't bother him despite the fact that he was naked. In fact, it was oddly refreshing after… _that_.

Not bothering to stop and get dressed, because he would only have to strip down again, he wandered down the stairs and into the kitchen. His back yard opened directly onto the path into the woods and he was fast enough to not have to worry about being seen parading about in the buff. He ate a cold lunch of heavily stacked sandwiches and half a gallon of milk before finally getting the last of his shit together. Leah should be waiting for him after he phased and ran through the first set of markers.

Placing his glass and plate in the sink to wash later, he was just opening the door and getting ready to streak through his yard when his eyes widened with horror. Because there were tracks in the snow leading up to his back porch. Human footprints that suddenly became animal prints as his eyes tracked them across the smooth expanse of fresh snowfall. And they were far from Wolven…

Huge and broad, they fed the panic in the Alpha Wolf…because those were  _Grizzly tracks_ …


	24. Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard

Blinking at the tracks crossing his yard from front to back didn't change a thing. Cursing at them didn't make them go away.

Didn't stop Sam from trying, however, and he cussed a blue streak a mile long as he repressed the urge to stomp his feet like a toddler. This wasn't fair! How could this possibly be right?! He was already a freak of nature, his Wolfishness a confirmed freakiness to his mind no matter that he'd long ago accepted it. And sure, he wasn't the only one, but it didn't exactly make him a normal human being, either!

It also didn't make any sense. There had never been a Bear-shifter in any of the written Legends, and you could believe he'd searched those bastards from top to bottom. He hadn't wanted any more surprises after Leah, even though he'd seen nothing of female Shifters, either. But in everything he'd read, every last paragraph, they had only mentioned the Wolves of Legend.

So why the fuck were there fucking  _bear_  tracks in his fucking yard?!

But even if he wanted to deny their authenticity, he couldn't, because he could still smell the faint scent of grizzly twined with his own scent wafting through his yard. Just like he could smell his own human scent where he must have phased just before he'd walked through the door.

Even his mental voice was shrieking in falsetto at that point and Sam made a concerted effort to calm himself down, control his hyperventilation, and get a grip on his shaking limbs. He wasn't altogether sure if Wolves were completely immune to heart-attacks and he didn't want to the very first to succumb to one.

Leah would be expecting him and she wasn't terribly tolerant of lateness in her Patrol partners, especially if that partner just so happened to be himself. As if she expected even more of him simply because he was the one who had unintentionally wronged her. Not that she wasn't wrong, because the Alpha should lead by example, but it made life around her just a bit harder than it might ordinarily have had to be.

Glancing back down at the incriminating tracks, Sam let his head fall back with a harsh  _thunk_  against the doorframe. His applecart had been just fine untipped, thank you very much! He had enough problems on his plate lately.

Jonah was in and out of the Pack-mind, strangely depending on how pissy he was that day.

The twins, both pairs, were also giving him shit. Thankfully the younger ones were controllable by being grounded away from their little Swedish Imprints. And God hadn't that been a nightmare to explain to the girl's parents? Yes, the supernatural existed, and both girls were now connected at the soul to a pair of Shape-shifters. Thankfully, they were very open-minded and decided to relocate to the area just as soon as they saw just  _how_  that connection affected their twin girls.

The older twins, sadly, had decided that they would rather follow Paul than either of their Alphas. Oh, they listened…when it suited them to. They obeyed any given Alpha-order…to the letter and no more. They practically ignored Jacob, much to his frustration, though it might also have to do with the fact that they had a sister who had been in a controlling relationship and they had taken the younger's Alpha's treatment of Bella personally. Sam strongly suspected that they would be the next to imprint on her.

Leah was being…well,  _Leah_  on top of whatever  _else_  it was that was making her act more difficult than was usual for her.

But even Embry was not quite right. Quieter than usual, and other than his interaction with Bella the other day, at this point he was nearing antisocial territory.

Glancing one last time at the tracks, Sam finally shook his head and came to a decision. He didn't have  _time_  to deal with this right now! He didn't have the energy, and he certainly didn't have the desire to sit and think about just how this could possibly fuck everything up. Narrowing his eyes, he Phased into the afternoon sun and ran through his yard, purposefully obliterating the grizzly tracks as he passed.

It wasn't till he reached the path that he finally breathed normally, because a small part of him had been terrified that he wouldn't Phase Wolf. Realizing that everything was back to normal, he felt his heartbeat normalize as his body stretched into a lope.

_"Where the hell were you, Sam?"_  Leah's irritable voice rang in his head as she discovered that he had joined into the Wolf version of the Borg Collective. Shay and Quil sent him a short greeting before Phasing out, leaving the two Wolves alone in each other's heads. Sam zipped up his memories for the last few hours, setting them away on a dusty shelf in the back of his head and away from anyone's prying thoughts. He didn't want anyone to find out about this newest fuckery of his life.

_"Well?"_  The female Shifter's eyes were practically glaring through him and Sam fought to keep from laughing nervously.

_"Sorry. Never heard the alarm go off"_ , he prevaricated. It was technically true…because he'd forgotten to set it.

Leah scoffed at him, but accepted the answer with a narrowing of her eyes.  _"Don't let it happen again."_

Then she was off, dashing through the trees into the depths of the forest.

Sam sighed. Well, at least in the of all the craziness that was his life,  _that_  had been relatively normal…

}:{

"You should probably stop that if I'm going to be presentable to customers", Bella murmured reluctantly, hands fisted into Paul's hair, back pressed against the door as her legs tightened about his hips.

He snarled softly as if in protest, but removed his lips from her throat. It was funny, but Bella had always tended to secretly looked down her nose at girls with love bites plastered across their necks. But she'd had no idea just how  _good_  it felt to actually  _receive_  them…like hot and cool pinpricks of pleasure dancing up and down her spine.

His eyes met hers from under the dark sweep of his lashes, glittering with a frustrated arousal that was nearly tangible before he forcefully throttled it back and carefully set her on her feet.

They had been on their way to the door when Bella had absently remarked that she felt a bit underdressed to be working a bar in her jeans and an oversized shirt and hoody. Her fingers had been toying with the ringed zipper on the front of the shirt, preparing to zip it up from where it had somehow slid down between her breasts. His eyes had narrowed on the gesture, before he'd ducked his head and pressed his lips to the rounded curve of her left breast. Bella hands had found his hair and tugged, stuttering a halfhearted protest at the newness of the intimacy…for all a second until the first gentle stinging tug against her skin. There had been a soft scrape of those wickedly sharp canines as he pondered her reaction, before his lips had slid up to her neck into 'safer' territory.

She hadn't really known when she had come to be wrapped around him yet again, but she couldn't fail to notice the way his body was pressed tightly against her own, hard and insistent against her belly. She hadn't been able help the way her hips rocked against him with every pull of his lips. In fact, it was only as she realized that she was climbing steadily to orgasm that she had finally called a halt.

Now, she scrutinized him carefully while he growled softly as he pressed the heel of his hand against the thick length trapped behind his fly as if to relieve the pressure, Bella flushing as he caught her watching him. A slow, sly smile curved his lips even as his hand swept slowly downward, stroking along what she hadn't yet seen, and she gasped before turning away. She could hardly believe he'd done such a thing in front of her, jumping as he laughed out loud before pressing his lips briefly against the nape of her neck.

She stood quietly as his arms came round, one grasping the hem and the other pulling up the zipper until it rested between her collarbones. "There," he rumbled. "Now you're safe."

"Still…" she began, trying to put them back onto an innocuous topic as she pulled herself back together, trying to ignore that strange, empty ache that came from unsatisfied desire. "Should I go home and change first? Maybe throw some makeup on?"

His arms looped across her torso, pulling her back into his body as he brushed his cheek along hers, a comforting caress that helped draw away the last of the tension. "You look fine as you are, but Haven will have clothes for you. And don't worry about makeup. Delia, the downstairs bartender, will get you sorted out."

Bella felt her face scrunch up at the thought of someone else doing her makeup. She had tolerated it from Alice, because it seemed to mean so much to the Vampire girl. But someone new? Who she had absolutely no emotional connection with to make her want to allow it?

As if sensing her reaction, Paul chuckled. "Don't worry. She's a beauty-school student who prides herself on her speed. She practices on her little sisters who apparently have the attention spans of fruit flies."

The mental image made her snort with laughter and she felt herself relaxing. He was always good at that, even if he'd been the cause of the tension in the first place. "Should we take Bess? I don't like the thought of you taking the bike in this weather," she admitted quietly.

"You know I can hold the bike in any weather," he answered. "But if it makes you feel better, we can take the truck."

Bella smiled before turning her head to press a kiss against his cheek, relief swimming through her. She was well aware that he was a frighteningly competent driver, but she didn't like the look of the roads for a motorcycle, even one as powerful and road-worthy as the Yamaha.

And sitting in the cab of the truck not too much later, she was even more grateful as the heat kicked in, warming her frozen fingers and toes. Paul was sprawled in the passenger seat with her phone in hand, dutifully texting Charlie as she dictated, telling him that she was going to be hanging out with Paul for the night but would be home by curfew.

Receiving a prompt reply, he read it out for her. "Says to be careful driving the roads and that I'm welcome to come crash overnight since he'll be late getting in." He lifted a brow, a smirk curling his lips and Bella could practically  _feel_ his gaze burning across her.

She knew that he was most likely just teasing her, but it didn't stop her from shivering at the intensity in his pale eyes. Laying with him in her bed would be an entirely new experience, she was sure, because she was used to wanting what she was sure she could never have. Now that it was all at her fingertips, she found herself incredibly nervous. Because she had been correct…he was too much to handle. She felt awfully young and inexperienced next to him, despite the fact that she knew she'd technically had more practice than he had in terms of numbers.

That hadn't seemed to matter in the end, really, because her minor experience was no match for his apparent instinct.

She was just turning into town when a familiar red blur shot across all lanes of traffic and whipped around the corner in front of them.

Bella stomped on the brake with a startled shriek, her heart climbing into her throat as the wheels skidded on a patch of black ice. A low curse was gritted from beside her, then Paul's hands came down on the steering wheel, steadying her grip. Bess bucked under their grip, then settled with an unnerving groaning sound, the black ice thinning out beneath them until it disappeared.

"God  _DAMNIT_!" she bellowed in the stillness of the cab. "The next time I see that little bastard, me and Bess are gonna murder his little windup toy of a car and see how he likes getting everywhere on  _foot_!"

He glanced at her. "That the same car that nearly skidded into your truck that day in the parking lot?"

Bella scowled blackly. "That's the little prick. He also ran my dad off the road that day you pulled his truck out of the ditch."

Paul's eyes narrowed under the black slashes of his brows. "Oh, really."

Bella finally felt her heartbeat decelerate into a normal rhythm and blew out a huff of air. Glancing at him apologetically, she mentally shifted gears to getting herself ready to become the center of attention amongst a group of college kids, because it was New Year's Day, and all the crazies would be out in abundance. But Haven needed her help. Had in fact asked for it and since he'd done her such a huge favor by letting her borrow Paul, she wasn't about to let him down.

They pulled up into the back where the employee parking lot lived and Bella found a place for Bess near the door. She eyed the employee entrance speculatively, following after Paul as he caught her by the hand and led her inside, down the hall and around to the stairs to the lower level where storage and the offices were located. Bella felt a bit out of place as she trailed along after him, the space full of people coming off shift and getting ready to go home.

A tall, statuesque girl with long, straight dark red hair strode down the hall towards them, a smile curving her full lips as she caught sight of them. "You must be Bella!" she exclaimed as she took in the way she clung to Paul. "It's lovely to meet you!"

Bella was a bit taken aback by the friendliness of the other girl, blinking into that megawatt smile with a somewhat dazed smile of her own. Paul gently tugged her forward until Bella remembered her manners and reached out a hand towards the redhead. "I'm Bella. I'm sorry but I didn't get a name…?"

The girl shook her hand with a blush, her smile widening further. "I'm so sorry!" she laughed, and even that was charming. "I'm Cordelia, but everyone around here just calls me Delia."

_This_ was the beauty-student that Paul had mentioned? Cause from what she could see, the woman needed absolutely no help in that department. But before she could begin to feel dowdy in comparison, Paul pulled her back into his body. Delia's eyes widened a bit at the gesture, but to her credit, she didn't say a word about it and that alone endeared her to Bella.

"Anyway, Haven said ya'll would be coming to help us out. He mentioned something about needing another female hand?" Her brows lifted questioningly.

Bella blushed, twisting the hem of Paul's shirt in her hands. "I'm not exactly dressed for customer service," she mumbled quietly.

Delia just laughed. "Don't you worry, darlin'! I'll have you sorted out in no time!" she exclaimed, betraying a soft southern lilt. She reached out her hand again, this time tugging Bella away from Paul and down the hall towards the women's locker room. Bella stumbled after the other girl's long-legged stride, wide-eyed with nervousness.

The door clicked shut behind the pair and then Delia was gently steering Bella towards a chair before the mirror. Sitting down, she turned to see the redhead digging in her locker for a huge bag full-to-overflowing with the most alarming array of cosmetics.

Delia just winked at her. "Don't worry, honey. I won't make you look like a clown, I promise."

Bella smiled hesitantly. "Just a lot more makeup than I'm used to."

"Well, with your skin, I'm not at all surprised," Delia said with a laugh. "Which is gorgeous by the way. I wish I could freckle…" she said wistfully.

Bella blinked at her, her smile turning a bit more genuine. Especially when the redhead exclaimed that she wouldn't need any foundation, just a bit of blush and some eye-makeup. Maybe a bit of lip gloss.

So when Delia pronounced her done less than ten minutes later, it was all Bella could do not to hug the girl, because that had been the most painless makeover she'd ever endured. Delia must have known, however, because she just laughed and threw her arms about the shorter girl in a friendly hug, before pulling back at the sound of a knock on the door. "Everyone's decent," she called out.

Haven poked his head around the frame, lips curving as he took in the sight of the two. "Delia. Bella, I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of providing a uniform for the night."

Bella blew out a sigh of relief. She hadn't wanted to stick out like a sore thumb all evening, and hearing that she would be able to melt into the crowd removed a bit of stress. He just winked at her as if he knew exactly what she had been thinking, before depositing a stack of black clothing into her hands. "See you on the floor, love. And thanks again for covering Colt's shift for me."

"You let me borrow Paul. It's the very least I can do." Bella exclaimed, much to his apparent amusement.

"You think he would have actually let you go for that long?" Yeah, he definitely knew more than he should have been able to, especially as the hoody covered the marks on her neck, and Bella blushed at the knowing smile he tossed her before departing.

Unrolling the clothing, Bella was a bit dismayed at the seemingly small size of both the shirt and the pants. Checking the label, she winced, but unzipped her jeans and pulled on the black cargo pants. They fit her like a glove, and Bella looked into the mirror dubiously. On the one hand, they made her ass look amazing, and her legs look longer, but….a bit too curvy. The shirt was much the same, making the most of her narrow waist, but hugging her breasts a little closer than she was used to.

Shaking her head resignedly at the snugness of the clothing, Bella almost missed the look on Delia's face. "You look upset," she said thoughtfully.

"It's just a bit too tight. But I'll live, I suppose."

Delia's shapely brows winged high as if in surprise. "Not sure who  _you're_ looking at in that mirror, but those clothes fit you perfectly. Haven's got a good eye for the female figure and he never makes a mistake. Not even with those who try to hide themselves under clothing that is way too big for them," she said with a sly smile. "Those fit like they were tailored for you."

Squaring her shoulders, Bella glanced in the mirror again, cocking her head thoughtfully as she turned to the side and reevaluated what she was seeing. Because if someone as beautiful as Delia could see nothing wrong with how she looked, then she must not look as ridiculous as she assumed she did. The white lettering on the back of her shirt caught her attention as she turned to get a better view from the back and she turned to the other girl with a questioning glance. "Apprentice?"

"We have rules here. And one of them is that the  _apprentices_ are not to be screwed with by anyone. Customers are warned in advance when we have an apprentice on the floor. And the rule is enforced by forceful expulsion from the premises if they are ever harassed."

Bella felt relief loosen some of the knots in her insides, because she knew Haven was serious about his rules.

"Now," the redhead said, beckoning her back into the chair. "Come on back here and let me do something with that hair."

Bella came with a smile, planting her butt in the seat and watching as the older girl parted it down the middle and swiftly braided it backwards, then wrapped it up into two small buns atop her head. Even she could see that she looked ridiculously cute and laughed as Delia forced a last stray lock into place with a bobby-pin and a good-natured curse.

That was right around the time that the nerves came rushing back.

_Oh god, she was going to be in the spotlight for hours and she had to agreed to this insanity?!_  What the hell had she been thinking?

Her stomach was still tied up in knots, butterflies dive-bombing about like dog-fighting bi-planes, and Bella winced in discomfort.

"You okay?" the question seemed to come from afar and Bella forced herself to get it together.

"I'll be okay. Just a bit nervous I guess."

"It really won't be that bad," Delia responded, her tone kind. "It's a relatively quiet night for a post New Year's weeknight. Paul will have your back in any case, and he's a good one to have backing you up. But I suspect you already know that better than anyone," she continued cheekily.

Bella blushed. "Yeah. I do know that."

Another quiet knock on the door startled the girls and both turned as Paul invaded the small, girly space, changed and ready for their shift. "Everything okay in here," he asked quietly, eyes seemingly searching Bella for whatever might be off from behind his silver shades. Then a brow lifted and he stepped forward, lips curving upwards as he tipped her chin upwards. "Very nice," he said, before bending and slowly brushing his lips along her own. She managed to keep the moan from escaping as he gently nipped her lower lip, then ran his tongue over it to soothe the sting.

A faint sound, the clearing of a feminine throat, caught her attention and Bella turned just in time to see the huge grin cross Delia's face. Bella's face flamed even further as Paul pulled her back into his body with a smug curl of his lips. But despite the embarrassment, she was secretly pleased because while Paul seemed to have absolutely no problem with PDA, Edward had been adamantly opposed, as if even being seen standing next to her was somehow salacious. It was kind of a relief to know that Paul wasn't ashamed to be seen with her.

"Well, you two going to stand about all day, or get out on the floor?" Delia teased.

Paul lifted a brow in silent warning before catching Bella by the hand and silently gesturing for the redhead to proceed them. The two followed behind the tall girl out onto the main floor where Haven and another man she had met before named Beau, a brunette covered in tattoos and pure charm, manned the bar.

Delia nimbly hopped her slim backside up onto the bar, dropping down behind it with a high-five to Beau as she took over from Haven without missing a beat. The man himself neatly vaulted the bar and landed in the crowd that had mobbed the area. Shrugging free of the grasping hands of a group of girls, he made his way towards the roped off stairs leading to the second floor, beckoning the two to follow him.

Stepping behind the second floor bar, the three set about prepping up for the night. There was a neatly printed checklist for Bella of items needing to be present before opening. Paul scanned the liquor shelves to make certain that they would not run out of anything vital anytime soon before quickly setting up the beer taps.

When everything looked ready, Haven dropped a hand onto Bella's shoulder to get her attention. "You ready for this?" he asked, golden eyes glittering almost eerily in the dim lighting.

Bella gave him a game smile. "I'll be okay." And she would be. She just had to get rid of the butterflies who had now progressed to gun-fighting in the depths of her stomach.

"Look. I'm not expecting you to be the perfect bartender straight off the bat," he insisted kindly. "Just watch Paul, keep an eye out for ways you can help out. You're friendly and personable, use that to your favor. Learn to mix whatever you can and feel comfortable with. Try to learn the how to use the register when you have the time. And above all…try to have fun!"

He glanced at the clock. "You two won't be alone up here. The DJ, Danny, is already setting up, and the bouncers will be through here to keep an eye on crowd control as soon as the floor starts to fill up, which probably won't take long. So just relax and it will all be over before you know it."

Bella turned to look up at the clock, calculating just how long she might actually be there, and turned to ask Haven if he had an ETA on either of the two normal bartenders, but he was gone. Bella's brows lifted in uneasy surprise before she turned to her companion who just chuckled. "Best not to ask."

Shrugging, Bella took him at his word and Paul then spent a few minutes familiarizing her with the register and going over the most commonly ordered drinks and how they were mixed.

"Paul!"

Paul's head came around just in time to see Danny's hands come up in a beckoning gesture. He nodded his head in response before pitching a cold water bottle across the room that the other man deftly fielded before returning to the mixers. Not long after, the low thrum of guitars and the heavy thump of the bass drifted across the empty dance floor.

As if the sound had beckoned them, there was a sudden clicking of high-heels on the stairs as a whole herd of college students made their way up the second floor. Bella could already hear the complaints of a few girls as they discussed the crowdedness of the downstairs bar. They seemed a bit whiney, but as long as Bella didn't have to do more than help fill their orders and smile politely, she would be just peachy.

It didn't take long for them to recognize who was behind the bar and the girls practically stampeded towards them. Bella winced as boobs were thrust forward and eyes batted so hard they should have caused a hurricane. "Hi, Paul," they simpered in a perfect chorus, heads of hair tossing as they tried to show themselves off to their best advantage. A couple of the guys laughed at the show, eyeing the sight appreciatively even as they started ordering drinks for the group.

"Ladies," Paul acknowledged with a minute nod, even as he begin filling the order. Bella wrote a quick list of the drinks requested and started ringing them up.

"Didn't see you here last week," a slender Spanish girl with huge dark eyes stated with a quirk of her full lips.

"Wasn't  _here_ last week," he responded bluntly.

Bella hid a smile as she consulted the drink book and then began pulling bottles off the shelf and lining them up.

"Well, why weren't you here? It was Christmas." The girl insisted with a pout like it was some dire need to see him on that day.

"Had better things to do." He lifted a brow, lips flattening into a straight line as if seeking to discourage that line of questioning.

"Zoey." One of the young men rolled his eyes and tugged her away even as she grasped blindly for her Purple Hooter. "Get over it. He doesn't want you and never will."

The girl turned bright red despite her olive complexion and tried to hide it by taking a gulp of her drink. Bella could feel prickles between her shoulder blades and knew there were eyes on her, trying to ignore them as she worked.

"So who's the new girl," the same guy asked as the other girls all pouted at Paul's close-mouthedness.

Bella pasted a smile on her face and turned after wiping her hands dry on a clean rag. "I'm Bella," she said as she handed the young man his drink.

"Bell-la. Nice to meet you," he smiled politely and reached out to catch her hand, shaking it with a good firm grip. He seemed to be the leader of their little group, shoving the girls back and out of Paul's face with a respectful glance at the Were. "When did you start?"

There seemed to be no hidden agenda, so Bella answered honestly. "Tonight is my first night, actually.

Paul smiled to himself as the attention shifted onto her. And Bella realized that that was another way she could help him, because he didn't really like all the attention. Especially from girls too blinded by their own lusts to realize that he wasn't interested. So she set herself to being friendly, like a hostess in a higher-end restaurant, smiling and deflecting questions if they became far too personal, like the girl who asked her why Paul seemed to like her better than them if she was new.

"He's a friend of mine. That's how I met Haven," Bella responded as she wiped down the bar to clean up after the tiny spills.

The girl sneered, jealousy clear in every line of her body. "Paul is  _no one's_  friend."

Bella just shrugged, unwilling to argue with a customer, because even she knew that was bad for business. The crowd, finally fully supplied with their drinks of choice, moved out to the dance floor and that was the last Bella saw of many of them for a while.

Things picked up after that, and it wasn't long before Bella was learning to mix drinks under Paul's watchful gaze. She was slow but steady as she worked, and she found herself grateful for the males because they seemed to be far more patient with her than the females, though no one was really all that rude to her. She had yet to get one wrong, thankfully, though it wasn't all that uncommon for her to turn and find the next bottle at her fingertips as Paul reached up the higher shelves for her.

And the girls continued to come. It was a good thing that Bella wasn't really the jealous type or she just knew that she'd be frothing at the mouth. Because even though they nearly all seemed to have the sense not to try and touch him, it didn't stop the vast majority from flirting their little hearts out in his direction.

He didn't throw fits when guys paid attention to her in return, but simply kept her aware of his comforting presence. A hand on her hip to scoot her aside when he needed to get in beside her. A brush of fingertips down her spine as he placed a glass in front of her for her to use. The brush of lips against her cheek as he moved away from her side towards another party that needed to order. She always knew where he was, could either sense him like a warm current or feel him with every touch.

She started to get the hang of things, started enjoying herself. Forgot to worry about what people thought of her, or even wince when someone smiled knowingly as they caught sight of Paul's handiwork branded across her neck. Time was passing quickly and they were racking up a phenomenal tip jar between the two of them. There was a slight lull and Paul appeared behind her to run his fingers down her stiff back. Bella wasn't used to long hours on her feet and her lower back was a bit sore. At the sound of her faint moan, he chuckled and dug in a bit deeper, relaxing her knotted muscles.

Then the break was over and Bella was back to pouring drinks and listening to stories, chatting with the groups as they came and went and laughing with Delia when she came to check on them.

It wasn't until they started to run low on a few bottles and Bella had flagged down a bouncer with a list of needed replacements that a group of girls appeared, all seemingly a little tipsier than their predecessors. That was when Paul finally displayed signs of irritation, because one was leaning over the bar and trying to touch him. His brows lowered and snapped together, his lips curving into a cruel little smile that said more clearly than words that someone was about to get hurt. She could see the girl slowly, drunkenly climb up onto the bar, arms reaching out to Paul as if she'd wrap herself around him if given half the chance.

The girl's less drunk friends tried to drag her away, but she shook them off with what was likely a bitchy remark because one or two of the other girl's faces darkened with hurt. Another girl climbed up after the first girl, shaking her finger in her face with a remark or two of her own, teeth bared like Leah did when especially pissed off. Then the bouncers appeared, one forcibly lifting Drunk-Girl off the bar, the other offering a gentlemanly hand to the one who had tried to get her companion to climb down of her own free will.

The girl kicked and caterwauled as she tried to get back to Paul, drawing a crowd that hooted like they were on the set of Jerry Springer. Finally Bella had had enough. Paul was pissed and Bella hated to see him lose his temper over a stupid girl who couldn't find a damned clue even with both hands and a map. She finished mixing the drink in her hands and set it in front of the young man who had turned to get a better look at the kerfuffle going on at the other end of the bar, then she stepped over and laid a hand on Paul's arm. She was startled when he turned on her with a growl, then big hands clamped around her waist, whipping her up off the floor and sideways onto the bar itself.

She had just enough time to squeak in surprise before Paul leaned her back over his arm and kissed her. She was still for all of a second, before she fisted her hands into his hair and kissed him right back, toes curling inside her boots even as his tongue curled past her parted lips.

_"YOU LITTLE BITCH!"_  she heard screeched out over the sudden cheer of the audience as Drunk-Girl apparently caught sight of them and let her feelings on the subject be known.

But Bella couldn't have cared less, a first in her book when it came to being the center of attention. Because Paul's lips were urging hers further apart, kissing her as if he could fuck her with his mouth right there on the bar in front of a hundred other people. The cheering got louder and louder, though that might also have been the ringing in her ears because she was beginning to become pleasantly light headed.

A sudden wolf-whistle came from the front of the bar, startling Bella with its sharp intensity and causing her to jump. Paul stiffened and growled in response, silent and all the more vicious for it. Bella worried for the continued wellbeing of the cheeky whistler so she tightened her fingers and pulled him right back to her.

Suddenly ice rained down around them in a clatter of cubes as they bounced off the bar and around on the floor. Bella shrieked in surprise and scrambled away from the freezing shower, much to the amusement of the watching crowd. "Break it up, you two," came a low drawl from near Bella's feet as a tall black-haired male stood there chuckling with a bucket in hand. "Impressionable eyes and all."

Some of the crowd scoffed before most of them turned back to the dance floor.

And there stood another ridiculously handsome man with a colorful sleeve of tattoos all of the same theme climbing up impressive musculature.

"Colt."

"Paul." Colt's grin was cheeky and completely unrepentant for having dumped ice on them.

"You do that again and I'm going to carve out your guts with a melon-baller." Paul's smile was pleasant, almost playful, and Bella could only feel relief that Paul seemed to have regained his good humor.

"Ooo, graphic. I like it!" Colt's wildcat-green eyes gleamed impudently. He turned to face the girl still on the bar and extended a hand to help her down. "And you must be the famous Bella."

Bella hesitantly accepted it and hopped down, fighting not to wriggle as a huge chunk of ice lodged between her breasts and refused to fall out from under her shirt. "Not anywhere near famous, but yeah, I'm Bella."

_The heat of the room was starting to melt the cube and a tiny drop of water ran down her ribcage and into her waistband._

"Nice to meet you. And thank you kindly for coverin' my shift. Got stuck behind a twenty car pileup on the highway," he said with a roll of his fascinating eyes. Because Bella had noticed something when he glanced at her…she was pretty damned sure that for a moment the man had had the elongated pupils of a cat… _just like Paul's…_

Bella's eyes widened in shock, even more so when the man winked roguishly at her as if he knew exactly what she had seen.

Well, what had she expected? That Vampires and the Wolf Pack were the only supernaturals out there? It was as likely as Earth being the only planet in the cosmos capable of bearing life…Pure arrogance, right? Besides, she was pretty damned sure that Haven was as preternatural as they came, next to Paul. Different skill sets of course, because she was almost certain that Paul had confirmed for her that Haven could simply disappear at will. But while handsome as hell, Paul's boss didn't draw attention like Paul did. In droves and hordes, both male and female regardless of sexual preference or his own desires to the contrary.

Now she had another mystery to unravel because Colt was clearly in the supernatural encyclopedia, she just didn't know the heading he fell under. He moved like any of the Pack did, though not quite as well as Paul or Haven. Taller and more heavily muscled than the average man, again just like the Pack. And those eyes…glinting with a metallic gold amongst the intense green. Yeah, he was something other. And clearly, Paul knew all about it.

_The next trickle of water slid down her ribs in a cool trail._

It distracted her from her musings, because she now had a frozen patch of skin on her lower breastbone, a place that was impossible to remove it from while in public.

And Bella finally fidgeted.

Paul lifted a brow in question and Bella turned to face away from the bar to gesture at her chest. "Ice cube." She mouthed.

His lips curved upwards at the corners before he stepped in close to block her from sight. The backs of his fingers momentarily stroked along her stomach under the soft black knit of her uniform shirt, then oh so slowly reached higher as if daring her to stop him. Bella bit her lip, eyes locked where she knew his to be, inwardly squirming as his lips gained a sly twist even as his finger slid up between her breasts and neatly snagged the chunk of ice, tossing it up and catching it in his mouth with a muffled crunch of the cube.

"So how's the crowd been," Colt asked, turning back to Paul who had finally stepped away from her.

"The usual," the Were responded. "Drunk, horny college girls who don't seem to understand that I will never be on the menu." At least he could joke about it after the fact, because Bella hated to see him upset.

Colt just shook his head. "You need to learn how to turn that shit off, kid."

Bella was fascinated watching them talk, watching them give each other shit, because Paul appeared far more relaxed around this strange man than he ever was around his own Tribe and Pack. They moved around each-other like a well-orchestrated team, the Were seemingly comfortable with casual contact from the older man as Colt occasionally touched him on the shoulder to move him aside. Though she did note that the shorter man never snuck up on Paul and made sure that the Were knew he was there before laying so much as a finger on him, giving him the option of shrugging away from the gesture if he so chose.

It was certainly telling when he rarely did…because his own Pack, the ones he should have been closest to for many reasons, had yet to earn touch privileges with Paul. Not that many had tried all that hard because even  _they_ were afraid of him at heart. Now maybe it had something to do with their young ages, because people like Haven and Colt, while they might never show it physically, must have been around the block a time or two and might have maybe gotten their heads on straight in the meantime.

_Maybe with enough time the others could learn to get over their fears, but the real question was whether or not it would be far too late…_

The two males joked back and forth for a while between orders, with Bella occasionally laughing at some story or joke as Colt rambled on between mixing drinks. He had a very sharp sense of humor that could turn raunchy at the drop of a dime. She was laughing so hard at times that tears were actually running down her flushed cheeks from where she sat on the bar.

Even Paul was laughing outright from time to time, his deep husky laughter stroking over her nerve endings like the brush of velvet.

"…so I told him that streaking was perfectly acceptable so long as he had the body for it."

"Oh, God! No more, please," Bella begged, arms wrapped about her middle. "Oh, my stomach hurts!"

Colt sniggered, but grinned agreeably. "Fair enough. Oh, I forgot to ask, how did the jacket fit? Haven gave me the measurements, even though I tend to like taking them myself. Call it a professional habit of mine, but I like to be exact."

_How the hell did Haven know her size?!_

Come to think of it, how the hell did Haven know half the stuff he  _did_ know? It boggled the mind…to a degree that it didn't bear thinking about it.

"It's beautiful! Thank you so much for making it for me!"

"Actually, Paul designed it," Colt differed as he wiped down a glass before stacking it with the rest. "Did a good job of it too. Said he needed something special for a friend."

That Paul had taken the time to design something with her in mind was touching and Bella pulled him in, wrapping her arms and legs around him in a full-body embrace. He just chuckled in response and wrapped his arms around her in return, pressing his lips briefly to the side of her neck where she was still sensitive.

Bella was slowly stroking her fingers down the back of his neck when there came a disgusted sound from behind them as Colt turned and caught sight of them, both hands propped on his slim hips. "Jesus, do I need to actually hose the two of you down this time?"

Bella blushed and grinned at him over Paul's shoulder before letting go, just as a voice called to her from the other side of the bar.

"Bella?"

Turning her head, she saw one of the boys from the very first group of the evening, prompting her to hop down and walk over. "Need a refill?"

He passed over his glass with a grin, waiting as she got him a new one. With Colt watching, she added the liquor before tipping in the 7up and giving the glass of blue liquid with a gentle stir. Then she turned and placed it on the bar. "One AMF."

The young man took a sip and nodded before paying, then turned and visited the tip jar with a wink.

Bella exhaled with a sigh, then swallowed a startled yip as Colt's heavy hand patted her on the back. "Good job, kid."

"Not bad," a deep mellow voice said from behind her and Bella turned to see a new man, this time a tall, slim platinum blonde with short spikey hair. His tanned face was nicely offset by a neatly trimmed vandyke, his friendly blue eyes dappled like stonewashed denim. He offered her a hand with a grin. "Kell."

She grinned right back. "Bella."

"Ahhh…now,  _you_  I've heard of." He stepped behind the bar, nodding to the other two before turning back to Bella as he tossed a leather jacket under the bar. "So how you liking working here?"

"It's…different. But I think I like it," she concluded. "Plenty of people to talk to and more than enough to do. Plus, I like every one of the staff I've met so far."

"Glad to hear it," he responded with a decisive nod as he stepped over to the tip jar and poured it into a bag, tied it off, then tossed it to Paul. "Because I think Haven intends to try and make you a permanent staff member however he can get you. By the way, thanks for lending a hand. I hated leaving the bossman in the lurch, but my sister had gotten pretty banged up and needed someone to sit with her."

"Any time," Bella promised. Because now that it was almost over, she realized that she'd actually had fun tonight. Hanging out with Paul and learning something new in such a relaxed, friendly setting had been a blast and she had kind of hoped that she could come back some time. Delia was awesome, Colt was a riot and Haven was probably an exceptional boss even if he'd tossed her in the shark tank right off the bat. She almost shuddered to think what a  _busy_ night looked like if this was a slow night in this place.

Looking up at the clock, she was startled to see that it was going on ten o'clock at night. No wonder her feet hurt! She'd been on the floor for five hours, much longer than her body was used to, and it would take some conditioning before her body would accept such long hours. She could definitely see herself working here if a part time position opened, especially over the summer, because she knew she'd be bored out of her skull without a summer job. Last year had been all about recovery for her and holding a job likely next to impossible at that time, but this year was a whole other story.

Besides…getting to work with Paul would be…kind of awesome really.

Oh, she knew they still had a lot to talk about. Because she was still kind of lost in how they had suddenly moved from friends to…whatever they were. Knowing that Paul wanted her, as he put it, and not in a friendly way, was a bit unnerving.

Oh, who was she kidding? It was unnerving as all hell!

Because sex would be an entirely new spin on their relationship.

And part of her knew she wasn't quite ready for it. Oh, sure, she had pushed Edward, but frankly that same part of her had always known that he wouldn't really go for it, and so she had been 'safe'.

Now, she was flying without a parachute, because Paul was a very physical person. He had always been free with his touch around her in the past. But, now that they had cleared the air, would he feel as free to touch her in other ways? Sex had always been something that she had not even allowed herself to think about, because for all that he attracted her like no other, it had seemed a betrayal of their friendship to imagine having sex with someone who had appeared disgusted by the very thought, regardless of who it was with.

Now, knowing that he not only wasn't opposed to the idea, but he might actually want her even half as much as she wanted him was a heady thing.

But sex with someone like Paul brought other concerns. Concerns that she almost didn't want to think about. Like would she honestly be enough for him? Could she ever learn to be if she wasn't now? Could she even keep up with him? She couldn't imagine him being a 'once on Saturdays for procreation's sake' type. She was just…human. Average. Maybe pretty, but certainly no goddess. And yet, if she were to believe Paul, he certainly thought she was more than just good enough. And, oh God, seeing him crawling after her had to of been one of the sexiest things she'd ever seen in her life.

She shivered before repressing the thought, because it really wasn't the time or place to be thinking such things.

What it  _was_ time for was to clean up her mess and get ready to leave. Paul was kneeling behind the bar, sorting out the mess of bottles and spilled drinks. Bella was just reaching for a rag to give the bar one last wipe-down when a young man weaved a bit drunkenly over and demanded a refill for his drink. It was a pretty easy request and so Bella put it together and was just handing it over when the guy reached out and grabbed her hand. His smile was a bit dazed as he eyed her up and down as far as the bar would allow for it. "You're new here. What's your name?"

"I'm Bella," she responded as she tried to gently pull her arm away. Unfortunately, he had a good grip on it.

"Bella. Pretty," he said, bending forward towards her over the bar. "I'm Chris."

"Um. Nice to meet you, Chris. Can I have my hand back, please? I need it to finish cleaning up." She smiled as she spoke, trying to keep things from escalating.

"You leaving?" He frowned in disappointment. His hand loosened fractionally and Bella pulled her own back, the smile feeling more fake by the moment.

"Yup. I was just filling in for the others for a few hours. But it's time for me to head out for the night." Her eyes dropped to her hands as she acted like wiping down the bar was requiring of concentration above and beyond a cursory glance.

"So you're going to be off, soon?" He suddenly seemed happy again, and Bella absently wondered why. She didn't really want to know what was going on in his head, and hoped like hell that he took the hint soon. He was starting to make her feel very uncomfortable with his closeness, but she didn't want to offend him either.

"Yeah. I'm going home." There. That should be clear enough. Not interested, please pay for your drink and go away.

"Want to go out with me, sometime? Like the movies or something? You're really cute, and I'd like to see you again." His grin turned smarmy as if he thought that it would get him some place.

"She  _is_ cute, isn't she?" Paul's voice came from over her shoulder as his arms wrapped about her body. She wasn't sure whether to feel relief at his appearance into the conversation, or to hope like hell that he didn't take this kid too seriously. "Small and unbelievably sexy. And mine." He lifted her chin and pressed his lips to her temple before turning back to the kid at the bar, whose face had gone practically puce. She could practically  _feel_ the goading smirk that must have crossed Paul's face and inside she cringed.

On the one hand, while she could feel herself flushing at the praise. On the other, it didn't stop the dread from curdling in a tight ball in the pit of her stomach. Because Paul had been months without a fight at this point. She didn't know what had urged him into them in the past, because that was another conversation they had yet to have and she didn't want her strange ability to draw creepers to set Paul up for another night in jail. She already had to have The Talk with Charlie about the changes in her relationship with Paul. She didn't want to stack the deck against herself if her father had to come and take Paul into custody.

She'd also never realized that Paul had a possessive bone in his body, but with him wrapped about her like a particularly charming sort of cobra just waiting to strike out at this… _boy_ …she realized that things were seconds away from imploding. Paul's body was tightening with impending violence, and Bella was feeling the first signs of panic. The boy's fists clenched as if he was already imagining hitting Paul in that pretty face of his, jaw grinding and his eyes alight with the drunken gleam of oncoming battle.

Yeah, because  _he_ was exactly Bella's type came that snarky little offhand remark in the back of her mind. But the rest of her was far more focused on figuring out a way to try and derail the oncoming train wreck because Paul wasn't the type to want to back down.

"Oh shit," Colt muttered from beside them. "Chris, not a good idea, man. And especially not over her."

"What the fuck do you know about it," the smaller man snapped, puffing up like an agitated banty-rooster as he turned back to Bella and Paul. "I saw her first, asshole! Hey, are you even listening to me? Let her go! She was going to go on a date with me!"

Colt actually laughed at him while Kell called downstairs for some assistance, and Bella thought back on what she had actually said, because when the hell did she agree to that?! She very clearly remembered the bit about him asking, and her saying that she had to go home. But that was beside the point, because right now, Paul was vaulting over the bar to land next to Mr. Soon-to-be-six-feet-under-Chris. The kid actually stumbled backwards a bit, eyes wide as he suddenly realized just how large the bartender actually was.

Especially when Paul fisted his hand in the boy's jacket and lifted him one handed to eye-level. The other hand pushed up those silver shades and Chris was suddenly treated to the chilling sight of icy pale eyes in a hue that looked utterly unnatural. There was a malevolence there that suddenly made him feel like a little fucking fish on a great big hook.

Colt pulled a hand down his face in exasperation. "Chris. Meet Paul."

Paul smiled, wide and shark-like.

And Chris blanched.

He was a newcomer here, had only been in a few times in the last week, but even he had heard of the man who had him by the throat. There were stories told that would make even the most belligerent drunk sober up and think twice. The spilled blood and broken bones left in his wake were practically legendary. He had never expected to see the infamous bouncer working the bar, had in fact intended never to draw his attention if he ever happened to come across him. Shit. Double and triple shit, because Paul also wasn't known for backing down from anything. The girl he had had his eye on suddenly jumped and turned as a hand came down on her shoulder, relief painting her face as the owner himself stood at her back and Chris further cringed when he saw the lettering on her back as she began trying to explain what had happened.

_Apprentice_.

Even worse. If they deemed him to have upset her, then he was fucked. But he couldn't even worry about that right now, because he needed to concentrate on escaping with all his limbs intact. He could see Haven scowling off to the sidelines as Bella came to the part where his advances were apparently unwelcome. Unwelcome? But she'd smiled at him until the big fucker had noticed and wrapped his arms around her and claimed her as his own.

But she also hadn't disagreed with the freak who was now dangling him in the air like a cat with a nice tasty rat.

Haven eyed him with those strange gold eyes, narrowed and pitiless, and Chris knew that if he got out of this in one piece than he would  _never_ freaking come back. This place had been completely awesome until the last ten minutes, and not even that was enough to offset just how freaked out he was just then.

Even more so just scant moments later as the overgrown son of a bitch pulled him closer and bent towards Chris' ear. "I know exactly what you thought of when you looked at her," he murmured. "But let me make myself clear. She. Is. Mine. If I catch you harassing her again, I'm going to cut you open and see how many times I can wrap your intestines around your neck before the shock of it kills you."

"Paul?"

Gigantor turned his head towards the girl who had been front and center of this whole mess and cocked his head.

She smiled, nervous and sweet and so fucking pretty it made Chris' whole body ache to look at her. "Can we go home now? I'm a little tired."

He wanted to kiss her because she might have just saved his life. Yeah, cause he was now as sober as a freaking preacher on Sunday. Didn't make her any less amazing to look at now that his beer-goggles seemed to have shattered, however. It just gave him a better look at how she was looking at  _Paul_. Because her heart was in her eyes as she held out her hand, silently urging the huge bastard to leave him behind and come with her.

And he actually found himself relieved to be dropped on his ass and forgotten as the man in question shrugged and made his way back towards the girl, leaning over the bar and scooping her up into his arms to lift her over it. Once she was back on her feet Colt handed her a bag and shooed them along after Haven who had begun making his way towards the stairs. She reached out and grabbed Paul's hand, lacing their fingers together before gently tugging him along behind her as she went along at the urging.

And the big fucker didn't so much as bat an eye at the gesture, simply shrugged and gamely allowed himself to be towed along by his pint-sized apparent paramour. Though he did notice that the man's cold eyes did drift down to the girl's beautifully shaped ass and rest there as a faint smirk crossed his extraordinarily handsome face. And when the bouncers appeared moments later to escort him from the premises, he actually went willingly. Because, thank God, his neck wasn't broken and he wasn't in traction.

Bella, for her part, heaved a huge sigh of relief as Paul followed willingly behind her. That had been a close one, and she was incredibly thankful that he had come along so easily. She knew that eventually there would come a time when he would balk at backing down, and she just hoped that she could handle that when it happened. Paul was meant for battle, built for it and thrived on it. Bella herself wasn't really a fan of violence, despite her love of action flicks. Real life violence tended to make her want to hide her face and bawl like a frightened toddler.

_Get over it, Bella. You knew what you were getting into when you befriended him._

It was true. Paul's rep was one of the few things to worry her when she had first decided to pursue a friendship with this particular Were. She had had to weigh her intrigue with him against the impending bloodshed he represented. But she had been tied up in him from the very first day if she were to be completely honest with herself. He was…simply amazing and she was the lucky person he deemed worthy of his time and affection. His  _love_. Because she believed him.

Paul had never lied to her.

It gave her a warm, happy feeling in her heart to know that she might have done something to earn it. He wasn't the type to give away his affections freely to any and all comers. It was all hers and hers alone. A slightly daunting thing, but joyful as well.

She just wished that she was more comfortable with his easy sexuality. It was one thing to hug him and cuddle up with no intentions of anything more. It was an entirely  _different_ thing to know that he wanted her body in ways she'd never actively considered allowing. He would be her very first in a lot of ways.

But somehow, knowing that she would be his as well made it a bit easier. She wouldn't ever have to sit there and wonder how she compared to a previous lover. Wonder if she failed to measure up in some way. Because no matter how perfectly he kissed her, no matter how easily he was able to touch her to make her body embarrassingly ready him in ways her mind didn't want to really contemplate (and how the hell did he know how to do that?) she knew that it was all as new to him as it was to her.

Then there were other considerations. As much as she wasn't prepared for sex, she was realistic and knew it would only be a matter of time. To her recollection, birth control pills would take a month to be considered truly effective so that would give her a bit of time to get comfortable with the subject. And oh dear God…she would have to tell Charlie about their status change, because she didn't ever want to keep things from her dad again.

It was his right to make the decision about Paul's welcome in their house at night. She would understand if it changed, if Paul was no longer welcome to sleep over because while she may be a legal adult, it was  _Charlie's_ house. Not that she could ever imagine having sex with another person in the house…she would likely be too nervous to actually enjoy it.

But she could have one more night, at least. One last night to sleep in her own bed with Paul and hopefully get a full night's sleep. Because if her dad rescinded Paul's overnight invitation it just might be the last good sleep she'd have for a while.

Putting those thoughts aside for later contemplation as they neared Haven's small but comfortable office, Bella handed over the bag in her hands, watching as the man swiftly calculated it and split it evenly into two piles, before handing one to Paul. But when he started to hand her the second, she blinked in surprise. "Shouldn't this go to Colt?"

"He said, and I agreed, that this should go to you. You and Paul saved my ass tonight. I would have been short-staffed if it wasn't for you two. So no. This is yours, love." He reached for a calculator, punched in a few numbers, then reached into a drawer and pulled out a checkbook. Quickly filling in the blank spaces, he tore out a check and handed it over. "As is this."

Bella balked as she saw the amount. The cash-tips amount was already high enough, though she could not debate its distribution because she had seen the satisfied customers dropping ones and fives in the jar for hours. In a high-end place like The Haven, people tended to tip well. People came from as far as Seattle and beyond to get into the place, despite its location in tiny Forks. She hadn't counted out the amount in that jar, but it was no mean amount.

But one hundred and fifty bucks seemed a bit steep for only five hours on the floor. Haven just smiled as Bella tried to pass it back, babbling incoherently about its amount. "I needed help and you stepped up. I tossed you to the lions without any real training and you didn't disappoint. I had more than a few people seek me out to tell me that the new apprentice was a talent to nurture because she was personable and made more than a few smile, and believe it or not, a great deal of them were female. Yeah, I know that the guys were nicer to your face, but the ladies appreciated you to the boss. That counts."

Bella blushed at the praise. "But I was slow-"

"You were learning and you didn't get one order wrong. People would have bitched if you had. This is your senior year if I remember correctly?"

"Yes? I mean, yeah, it's last my year of school."

"If I help you to learn everything and get you licensed for it, how would you like to come work for me this summer?" His golden eyes were piercing, watching her carefully for any doubts but Bella was far too excited about the possibility to do anything other than smile and nod like a rabid bobble-head.

Because oh my God that would be so much fun! She'd have a real job lined up, she already liked everyone she'd met and she'd get to work with Paul! There was just one last hurdle, and its name was-

"And I will need to talk to your father. I understand that he is the chief of police and I want him to understand that you will be well taken care of here." Haven stood from his chair and circled to the front of his desk where Bella stood leaning against Paul, one heavy arm curved across the front of her body from shoulder to shoulder. "Is there a good time that I can reach him?"

Bella gave him her cell number and her father's. "But let me break the idea to him first? I don't want it to be a surprise."

He nodded, lips pursed as he thought it over. "Probably a good plan." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, writing a number on the back. "This is my personal number. Get in touch with me once you've had a talk with your father and we can plan out a good time for me to ring him."

Bella took the card and tucked it carefully into her wallet with another smile. "Can I send you the clothes back with Paul?"

Haven shrugged. "Keep them. You will need them when you start work here."

"Okay. And I will talk to Dad when he has time on Friday evening." Bella could hardly contain herself, she was so excited. But she didn't want to make a complete goober of herself in front of a possible employer, so she forced herself not to bounce excitedly. She would soon have the funds to fix up Bess and more if she was able to accept the job.

She could feel lips pressing fondly against her forehead as Haven opened the door and ushered the both of them out with a smile. He was very busy, despite the time he'd taken in talking to her and she appreciated that he had done so. She ducked into the women's locker room to quickly retrieve her bag and hoody as they walked towards the employee entrance, throwing on the garment with an anticipatory shiver because she had gotten a glimpse out the window and saw the huge, fat flakes of snow falling past the panes of glass. She wasn't looking forward to the drive back to her house in the cold, but she was already anticipating curling up in her bed with Paul who radiated heat.

Stepping out into the cold, she wasn't terribly shocked that Paul had somehow managed to pick her pocket for her keys and had stepped forward to hold open the passenger door for her. She hopped in, tucking her hands up into her sleeves to keep them warm until Bess' heating could kick in as Paul dropped into the driver's seat. Then he pulled her into his side to help keep her from freezing.

Bella wasn't at all surprised that she was asleep even before the heat kicked in. She had been exhausted by then, what with the hangover from hell that morning and the stress of the afternoon, not to mention the unaccustomed work of that evening, it had all conspired to do her in. She was being gently carried up the stairs when next she came to consciousness, then stood up in the center of her room as Paul pulled the zipper down on her hoody and tugged it off her arms before tossing it into the corner.

He paused for a moment and bent to skim his lips up the column of her throat, then reached down and grasped the hem of her shirt. "Trust me?"

Bella hesitated for an eternity of moments, eyes crawling slowly up his face until hers locked with his, before coming to a decision. Because she  _did_ trust him. With everything she was. Her arms lifted, letting him have his way and he lifted her shirt over her head before sending it sailing after her hoody. His eyes never left hers, somehow comforting to her because he wasn't ogling her like some boob-crazy pervert. His hands skimmed down the softness of her flat belly, hooking in the waistband and popping the button, then lowering the zipper, leaving the black cargoes to pool around her ankles and offering a hand to help her step out of them.

She stood there, shivering in her bare skin as his eyes finally dropped to slide over what he had uncovered. She fought to not hide herself with her hands as those eyes flared with heat, his other hand coming up to stroke the backs of his fingers across the top of one breast and down the sloped curve, almost absently brushing across the still covered nipple on its way down.

"Still trust me?" he murmured, voice low and just a bit thicker than usual as his hands dropped to stroke over the small of her back, slowly reeling her in until she was pressed against him, where she huddled into his body shyly. Arms locked around his waist, she laid her cheek against his ribs, slowly relaxing as his warm, callused hands slid soothingly across her back. And while he was hard against her, he seemed uncaring of the fact and so Bella did her best to ignore it as well. She could hardly believe she was standing nearly naked against him, but somehow it felt almost natural to be like this with him. That he made no move to take advantage of her trust in any way also helped ease any lingering nervousness over this newest development.

Time passed and Bella felt the tiredness creeping back in with a yawn. She rubbed her cheek against him affectionately, enjoying the warmth that bled through the black knit of his uniform shirt.

"You okay?"

She nodded, tightening her arms around him. She felt him tilt her chin upwards and forced herself to meet his piercing gaze. His lips tipped upwards before he bent and pressed them against hers gently, almost boyishly sweet and completely undemanding. Then he was gone, having stepped over to the night chest to rummage through it and remove her favorite pajamas and a pair of his jeans.

Bella stood there and waited, arms still trustingly at her sides as he came back and lifted the gray Eeyore shirt over her head. She smiled at him as she pulled it on, then stepped into the bottoms with only a tiny stumble.

It was strange, but being undressed in front of him wasn't quite as scary as she had thought it would be. And maybe it was because he was so gentle about it, didn't demand a thing of her as they had stood there. Not that she wasn't relieved to be covered again, but…maybe next time he asked she wouldn't be quite as nervous about it, because he had just proven that he could be trusted even with her naked body.

Then she was being lifted and tucked under the thick, warm blankets. "Be right back," he said.

Bella blinked, leaning up onto her forearms. "Where you going," she asked on a yawn.

"Shower. Unless you'd care to come with?" he offered with an uptilt of his brow. His lips tipped upwards with a sly smile, dimpling as she turned red and shook her head frantically. Being undressed in front of him was one thing. Being naked  _with_ him was another matter entirely. He laughed quietly, bending to press his lips to her forehead before walking from the room.

She must have been drifting off after he left because it only felt like seconds until he was back, gleaming black hair damp and dressed only in a pair of jeans. "You know I like you best this way," she mumbled sleepily as she cuddled into him, her mental filter already on the fritz.

A low chuckle escaped him as he wrapped her up in his arms and tucked her under his chin, legs tangled comfortably with hers. "I know it," he murmured back.

And that was the last thing she knew before sleep claimed her.


	25. I Want You Now - Depeche Mode

She was always so incredibly peaceful when she slept.  
It was a foreign concept to Paul. Peace. Because before her, his life was anything but peaceful. The manic need for violence had been such a driving force in his life for so long that he couldn’t really remember a time when he had felt the urge to simply relax. _Until Bella_.  
He remembered that very first day. Waking up to her slow, even breathing in his ear as he lay there in the late afternoon sun, stretched under her on her bed. He hadn’t been quite sober at the time, not yet. But he’d been close enough to it to be able to enjoy the lassitude flowing through his limbs and allowing him the respite he had so often craved but never found. Her serene face had been painted in a scarce-there smile as she lay quietly in his arms. Not demanding a damned thing of him.  
It was a new concept for him. This undemanding little thing who gave everything she had and asked for so very little in return. That afternoon, he had quietly sorted out the reasons for his dislike of her and had come to the conclusion that he had judged her with all the harshness that people tended to judge him. It was a rare philosophical moment for him. Because despite all the reasons he had to hate her…and there had been more than one…there was a great deal more to respect about her. She was innately kind, above and beyond anyone he had ever known. She was also incredibly considerate and gentle-natured. Almost more than he could really fathom, because his world often revolved around the blinding need for bloodshed.  
He’d allowed himself to become like a wild animal in temperament; fight for dominance, never take food from the hand of a human. Never show a weakness that could be exploited. It had been a simple way to exist. Easy. Because caring for another creature did not come naturally to him. It had been beaten out of him from an age beyond his recollection.  
But caring for Bella brought other considerations.  
Her father was one of them, because he actually respected Charlie. But even more than that, he respected Bella, and wasn’t about to hide the nature of his relationship with her. He loved the girl. Sure, he wanted to fuck her till he’d made himself blind with it, but that was beside the point. His lips quirked. The point was that he knew that he and Bella were going to have to sit down and have a conversation with Charlie even if it meant that he was no longer welcome in the girl’s bed. And such a shame _that_ would be, because the thought of having sex with her in her room held an attraction that he couldn’t deny. Something about corrupting that haven of innocence definitely appealed to him.  
There was also the matter of Bella’s virginity. He wouldn’t refute the fact that he was selfishly pleased with that little detail, because he was a possessive fucker at heart. He wanted to _own_ her, from her heart stopping eyes to her delicate toes. He had from the very moment he’d realized that she actually respected him, as if it were somehow the winning combination to the lock on his libido. The dials had tumbled into place with a nearly audible click in his head and he’d felt his addiction to violence morph into a nearly violent obsession with the little brunette.   
Funny that he’d had no interest in sex before her, because it was nearly all he could do to keep himself from mauling the girl most days. Not that she wouldn’t have thoroughly enjoyed every second of it, he had no doubts as to his own abilities. Another oddity given his previously untouched state. _Willfully_ untouched, because even the _thought_ of touching anyone else in the past had made him angry. Their fear of him despite their arousal had absolutely disgusted him. They had reeked of it, and the wicked thing coiled about the charred remnants of his black little soul had hissed in greedy hunger. They were prey. Nothing more than _food_.

And as twisted as he was, even _he_ knew there was something wrong with that picture.

Bella, by her own admission, had been intimidated by him…but she had never actively _feared_ him. It had fascinated him from the very beginning, even as he had begun to want her more than anything he could ever remember desiring. Wanted to touch her and stroke her soft skin and _fuck_ her until the only sensation that she could remember was what it felt like to be full of him. Wanted to eat her alive with pleasure.

A small hand skated across his ribs and up his chest, pulling his head out of the past and back into the present. His body suddenly awoke at that delicate touch with a demanding throb of want and he bit back a low curse. It would have been so incredibly easy to wake her with wanting him, to rip her from her slumber with the aching need of desire.  
Desire that she seemed to be doing her damnedest to deny.

He wasn’t blind.

His senses were even more acute than that of the other Wolves, and the beast in him loved to wallow in the scent of her arousal. Loved the blush on her cheeks when that artless imagination would gift her with just a hint of what he wanted from her. Tamer, by far, than his own imaginings, but rolling in the right direction.

And he could sense when she was close to orgasm. Sure that very first time in the parking lot of her school had surprised him, but to be fair about it no more than she had surprised herself. But she had refused to let herself go since then. Refused to let her body have what it wanted and what he would absolutely love to give her. Now, it was either from some misguided idea of remaining a lady, fearing to move too fast with him, or maybe she truly wasn’t ready to face her own sexuality. The first was cute but completely unnecessary, but the second… _Jesus_. He’d be climbing the walls soon.  
It wasn’t so much the near violent urge to drive himself as deeply as her body could hold him…but he also had this completely inexplicable need to taste her till she broke apart under his hands. And it wasn’t an unselfish desire in him, because he was…  
… _hungry_.  
Christ, he was _starving_ for her.   
The dark, selfish voice of his craving whispered in the back of his mind, reminding him of what she looked like under her clothes, small and pale and so incredibly vulnerable. It would have been so very easy last night to distract her with lips and touch until he could get her on her back and clinging to him, a blush painted across her face as she locked those curvy thighs around his wrist to keep him where she needed him.  
 _Too_ easy.  
Because he was also far too aware of exactly how susceptible she was to him. The knowledge ate at him slowly as he lay in the early morning darkness, arms full of sleeping girl and body full of sinful intentions. Instinct said that it would take nothing at all to urge those legs apart over his shoulders and lick her up until it was all she could do to tug at his hair and beg him. Feel her heels digging into his back while she gasped.  
She shifted atop him again, one thigh pulling up and pressing against him where he was so hard he ached, and he inhaled with a soft hiss through his teeth as the sensation ricocheted up his spine.  
And he tried to stop. He honestly did. But even as he acknowledged that there must be a special ring in hell for bastards such as himself who defiled the innocent, he was carefully rolling her off his body and onto her back. Slumberous cinnamon eyes slowly blinked up at him, her dark hair in a curly halo about her face as she smiled softly, and he was on her even before she got her lips open to greet him.  
He felt her go still with surprise before slim fingers gently raked up his back and neck before tangling into his hair, accepting him with a sleepy little murmur as she kissed him back.  
The beastly thing in him got the bit between its teeth with a silent snarl of satisfaction at her capitulation. He found himself clenching her pillow with tight fists to keep from plunging a hand down into her pants and curling his fingers up deep into her soft body. It was even worse when her legs reflexively came up to wrap around his body and he fought to keep himself on his damned leash. Soft, needy sounds were working their way from her throat and he groaned in response as he pushed his hips down into the mattress, seeking some kind of relief even as his kiss shifted from almost gentle to wild.  
And she was already so close again. He could feel it. Practically taste it as her body shifted under his own. Passion clung to her skin, almost tangible as he ripped his mouth from hers and wrapped a fist into the hem of her loose shirt before tugging it downward. Her bra-clad breasts popped free just as her eyes popped wide with apprehension, but he didn’t give her time to object.  
He caught the edge of one of the lacey cups with his teeth and jerked it downward, exposing sweet, pale flesh. Her hands loosened in his hair as if she were about to try and cover herself, but he wasn’t having that either, and he ducked down to capture the tip between his teeth with a low, greedy snarl. One gentle tug and she was thrashing under him, legs tightening where they spread wide to hold him. He shifted again, dragging the steel-hard ridges of his abdominal muscles across her where she seemed to want it, and feeling the softness of her even through her clothing. Another tug against her breast set a rhythm that had her arching and tugging at him, soft lips parted as she whispered his name.

The sound of his name on her lips drove him further from control, the tether on his libido fraying alarmingly and he wanted her just then with an intensity that was painful.

He couldn’t have stopped the possessive growl that ripped through him even if he had wanted to.

He also could never have predicted the results of such a violent sound on sweet little Bella.

Her legs locked across his back as her own bowed sharply, nails sharp against his skin in a way that he adored as she writhed under him, eyes rolling up as she finally succumbed. Time seemed to last forever in that suspended moment as she let herself go, rising and cresting on pleasure that didn’t seem to end. He could smell that sweet/tart scent growing heavy with her release, the one that made his whole body tighten with the need to _taste_ it. To feel it slide slick over his lips and tongue as he finally coaxed her into letting him lick that pleasure from her body.

Just the thought of it made him edgy with clawing hunger, the tension of it climbing across his nerve endings.

_But she wasn’t ready…_

And fuck all if that wasn’t the only thing that could have stopped him, because need and want meant nothing at all if she wasn’t ready for more than what he’d already taken. Not that he wouldn’t take it again if she were willing, despite the clamoring in his body for release. But all in good time. Because right now? Bella was finally relaxing under him with a shuddering sigh, fully replete as her tiny hands kneaded the back of his neck like a contented little cat. His lips curved against her breast before he flicked his tongue out and let it trace across the nipple with a smug rumble deep in his throat. Couldn’t have helped himself even if he wanted to, because he was certain that there was nothing prettier than Bella right after she’d gotten off.  
Another thing he was certain of? The hunger that constantly sliced at him with its vicious raking claws was so mild at the moment that all he could feel was a lingering ache. It had eased it's stranglehold on him the moment Bella had started coming underneath him. Her pleasure had sated the thing, leaving it in a warm purring heap in the back of his mind. Temporarily satiated for the time being as he enjoyed the bonelessness of her and the gentle stroke of her slender fingers through his hair as she unconsciously held him close to her.

And he could tell the very instant that she came fully awake.  


>}:{<

  
It didn't so much wake her as it did startle her when she abruptly found herself on her back. Bella had been drifting in and out consciousness for a while, floating along on a cloud of happiness and bone-deep indolence. Tendrils of heat drifted down her back in shivers of pleasure and she soon found herself caressing back. Cuddling into its strangely familiar contours and listening to the rumble the cloud made as she did so. The sound it made seemed to thrum through her body, inducing an arousal that Bella didn’t really try to fight.

_This was an interesting dream…_

One that she wasn’t quite sure of, but wasn’t going to try and wake up from. In this other world, she felt safe to do as she pleased. No one to tell her she was moving too fast or far with someone that she loved but was unprepared for. No shame to be felt for letting go and simply _feeling_ what she wanted to feel.   
Shadows had drifted across her vision as her eyes slowly opened. She must have still been dreaming, she’d thought as she smiled, recognizing Paul's outline. She had opened her mouth to greet him when he'd dropped down and slanted his lips across her own in a heated kiss that had left her tingling all the way to her fingertips and toes. And yet he was still gentle and non-threatening as he braced himself above her. Then he'd shifted and something in him had changed because his lips, firm and yet somehow softer than they should be, those lips opened and the kiss turned from something that was beginning to feel familiar and harmless into something that…wasn't.  
Her body suddenly felt achy and restless as she clung to him, a scarcely-familiar needy thing unfolding inside of her and growing claws as he moved down her body. Shock abruptly paralyzed her, then pleasure did the same as velvet lips captured a nipple and gently tugged.  
Sensation zipped across her nerve endings as he pulled at her, and she could feel her own lips parting on a surprised gasp. She couldn't have even begun to bite back the sounds that crawled up her throat, though she did finally attempt to yank her consciousness back with both hands as he pulled at her. But just then he shifted and ground against her and suddenly it was far late too stop herself as she went hurtling into black space, clinging almost desperately to Paul, legs wrapped tightly about him as she writhed in some kind of mindless, delirious bliss. Heat blistered under her skin and her heart raced like a runaway horse at full gallop as it went on and on, much longer than she could ever remember in her admittedly limited past. She’d attempted to anchor herself by fisting her hands into his hair, but it only served to pull him closer and he responded with a sharper tug of his lips.  
It seemed to last forever and she was flushed and breathless when she finally spiraled back down to earth. His hands were slowly stroking over her body as if he were gentling a wild thing, his lips dancing over every inch of exposed flesh and Bella found herself stroking him back, restless fingers skimming up over the back of his neck.  
Her mental processes were slowly rebooting themselves as she grounded herself in the tactile sensation. Because apprehension was beginning to filter through her fogged mind and she was becoming surer by the second that what had just happened wasn't quite the dream that she had thought it must be. But then again, she'd never really had a sex dream before, so she wasn't exactly sure why she had thought that this must be one. But her body still thrummed with fulfillment, her heart racing even then.  
Embarrassment was beginning to fill her, because she'd never considered herself to be easy, but she was proving to be exactly that. She'd been unable to stop herself from tipping over the edge and had simply allowed him to do as he pleased.  
Her shaking hands drifted upwards and she covered her flaming face. Oh God…what had she done? She’d been so determined that it was best to wait as long as possible for anything sexual in nature to occur between the two of them. Damn, even a week would have been a relief, because she was so woefully unprepared for him and what he now represented. She was overwhelmed at best; intimidated at worst, like she hadn’t been since the day she’d met him. And what did he even think of her to be so incredibly quick to come apart with just the smallest provocation? It never really been… _difficult,_ per se, to please herself in the past. But this had kind of bordered on the ridiculous.

He shifted against her side, one long forefinger drawing lazy concentric circles across the surface of her still exposed breast, and Bella suddenly realized that she could feel him pressed along her outer thigh. It was obvious that he was fully enjoying what he was currently doing and very much inclined to continue where he had left off.

“No reason to hide from me, girl,” he murmured from above her, tone mellow and somehow sated as if _he_ had been the one to come undone just moments ago. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed over.”

Bella could think of nothing to say to that. _He_ wasn’t the one who had reacted like a little hussy to a little bit of attention. She would have tried to pull her shirt up, but wasn’t that a bit like closing the barn doors _after_ the bull got out? And if she were to be honest…his touch wasn’t completely unwelcome, despite the blush working its way down her neck and over her chest.

“Mmmm,” he rumbled on a throaty chuckle. “Very pretty.”

Oh god, why was he talking about it?! He’d never been particularly loquacious in the past so why was he feeling the need to talk about the color of her skin while she blushed in absolute mortification? Besides, it was just boobs. There was nothing particularly special about it. They bounced when she ran and got in the way occasionally when she tried to sleep on her stomach. They was just there. In his hand and apparently fascinating to him because he’d tweaked the nipple between his fingers to watch it furl into a tight little nub. The soft tug made her squeak and a tingling sensation raced up her spine.

Suddenly, another thought occurred to her and she dropped her hands, eyes widening in utter horror as they rolled towards the open doorway.

The walls in the house weren’t exactly paper thin but they weren’t built to keep sound contained either. Strange noises tended to bring her father running if she sounded like she were in distress, with bad dreams especially, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine what she’d sounded like. She knew she hadn’t been loud but still, if her father had walked in with Paul on top of her then he had possibly already gone to get his shotgun.

“Charlie’s gone,” Paul intuited. “Left a couple of hours ago. Said he had some paperwork to tackle before the end of the week.”

Bella went absolutely limp with relief. Well, one worry down. Because the other? She wasn’t sure who had initiated what and it worried her. What if it was her own fault that Paul had done… _that_? She couldn’t really blame him if she had started stroking him in her sleep. It wouldn’t have been the first time, but at least in the past he had seemingly brushed it off into the ‘she was dreaming’ category and left it at that. Now that they were…Well, she didn’t exactly _know_ what they were now. Still friends, certainly, but did Paul qualify as a boyfriend? He was no one’s idea of a boy, nor had he been for a very long time, and-

_Beside the point, Bella!_

Risking a glance up at him, she didn’t know whether or not to be relieved that his gaze was locked onto her chest, lips tilted upwards into a lazy, feline smile. “So,” she attempted, tone quiet with nerves. “I think I’m…sorry?”

His icy eyes glittered. “For what? Having an orgasm?”

_Oh, Jesus…_ The blush renewed itself and Bella fought to keep from curling into a tiny ball and attempting to hide from him. “I meant for apparently molesting you in my sleep.”

“Oh, is that why you’re sorry,” he returned with easy humor. But his voice was laced with latent sensuality and Bella couldn’t help the shiver that danced over her skin, gooseflesh rippling across the surface.

She bit her lip to fight back low sounds of pleasure because his hand and progressed from absent, glancing touches to possessively cupping the exposed part of her, gently squeezing and weighing it in his palm. She could feel her back arching into his touch, somehow both soothing and entirely not at the same time. “Yes?” Her brain wasn’t exactly working all that well at the moment.

“Hmmm.” The sound was thoughtful as his gaze drifted slowly upwards to find her own. One brow lifted with a playful kick. “Want to do it again?”

“Wait, what?” Bella’s heart skipped a few beats in shock as she stammered at him. That was how long it took for her face to catch up and blush several likely fascinating shades of fuchsia. But for once she didn’t immediately blurt out a denial. Maybe because for once she wasn’t _in_ denial. And he _was_ offering…with a smile no less.

Paul laughed, a rough, sexy sound that was equal parts amusement and arousal. “I think I remember telling you that all you ever have to do is ask.”

“I didn’t think you meant for something like this!” she sputtered.

“Oh, _especially_ for something like this,” he rumbled as he shifted up onto his knees. Reaching down, he scooped her up then settled her astride his lap, her thighs hugging his hips. “Are you going to say no?”

_Holy crap_ _there was a lot of him_ , the virgin in her insisted on pointing out. Long and thick and unbelievably hard as his hands rocked her hips slowly against him. _He wouldn’t be an easy fit,_ Virgin-Bella supplied rather unhelpfully.

“I…I...”she stuttered for a moment, distracted by unfamiliar sensations and anxiety. “Shouldn’t we discuss…I mean, can I-” She didn’t even really know what she wanted to say to him, other than to somehow convince him to read her mind and address all of her doubts and insecurities. She felt uneasy about doing this but at the same time she didn’t honestly _want_ to say no to him. Did that make her a slut? Whatever they were was so new that anything _more_ than what they had been doing all along felt too abrupt. And God how she wished that she could somehow call Angela for advice just then! The other girl was always good in a pinch and this one was getting pretty tight. And yet the little part of her in the corner of her mind was insisting that she damned well _could_ do this and enjoy it, too!

His pale eyes shimmered incandescently. Knowingly. “What if I go with you?”

She blinked at the rather provocative thought even as his warm lips skimmed down the column of her throat in a slow caress. He stopped at her collarbone, nipping teasingly with sharp white teeth. Bella felt her lips part on a soft gasp, all thoughts of turning down his offer falling away along with nearly all of her trepidation at letting him in too soon.

It was as if the sound had tripped some sort of trigger in him because big hands suddenly dropped down her back and clamped possessively over her butt, even as his hips rolled up into her own. Bella gasped again as he shifted and pulled her in tighter, before rolling up into her again. His chill eyes locked with her own as he ducked down to press his forehead to hers, pure want climbing up those sculpted cheekbones in a ruddy flush of color.

Seeing him like this, fully focused on and driven by his desire for her, was like nothing she could describe. Thrilling and intense and just a tiny bit frightening, too, but all the more exhilarating for that touch of uncertainty. As if he could sense the thought, his lips curved up into a wicked smile even as he began a slow, sinuous grinding of his hips that soon had her clinging to him, hands slipping over the warm satin of his skin. Her whole body flushed with heat and pleasure once more and Bella couldn’t help the embarrassing sounds that spilled from her open lips. Sounds he seemed to take delight in as he thrust against her trembling body, pleasure washing through her in waves that never seemed to recede but built upon each other slowly, inevitably, until she couldn’t even find the air to tell him that she was close. But he seemed to know instinctively, because he added a snap to his hips that wrung helpless little cries from her. His lips dropped to hers, swallowing the sounds with a relishing growl deep in his throat and that fast Bella was tumbling headlong over the cliff.

Her whole body went taut in his hold, chasing and holding on to the sensation as long as she could possibly manage to as she clung to him, hips twisting in his hands. And he never stopped moving against her, letting her ride out one of the orgasm until finally she raked her nails up his back as she became too sensitive for more, thighs shaking with strain as they gripped him. His hands absently squeezed her backside as he let her regroup, before sliding up her back and taking her shirt with them.

And she let him, lazily raised her arms as the sleeves slid off over her hands, too blissed out to care when he flicked the clasp of her bra between his fingers and finally unhooked it, tossing both items onto the floor. Maybe it was because he didn’t immediately grope at her, simply gathered her in and held her, but Bella couldn’t bring herself to worry overmuch about him stripping her to the waist.

There was just one thing occupying her mind…he was still hard where he rested against her. The pressure of him had slowly worked her open through her pajama bottoms and underwear, leaving her vulnerable and exposed to him. But his lips were slow and gentle against her own, unhurriedly brushing them own open and flicking the tip of his tongue against her own, drawing the kiss out. Drawing _her_ out.

_He always tasted so amazing,_ the little conscious part of her mind noted. Dark and rich with just the tiniest hint of something dangerously addictive.

Then the thought was gone, lost under the sumptuous pleasure of it all. Her entire world was heated sensation under his touch, the slow stroke of his warm, calloused hands over the bare skin of her back and waist. She could already feel the empty clenching sensation deep in her belly that told of renewed desire for him. As if he sensed it, one hand drifted up her spine and gently fisted into her hair to hold her still as his kiss deepened, hips rolling tightly against the apex of her thighs. Then again. And again.

And then Bella was done being passive.

Her legs tightened across his hips to hold him, relishing in the low growl that broke from him even as his fist tightened in her curls, gently tugging at her until she lay spread out on her back. Her hands skated down the heavy muscle stacking his torso before slipping back up over his arms and linking behind his neck. The shy part of her cringed for the display she must have presented him, topless as she was, but it was soon buried beneath the part of her that was beginning to enjoy the hot blue burning in his eyes as they raked over her chest. She suspected that the view just plain did it for him because his beautiful mouth had curved into a hungry smile that somehow pleased her despite its darkness.

_He_ pleased her.

_Just as she seemed to please him…_

Because now she had the pleasure of watching him come undone. His whole body going tight, Paul groaned through gritted teeth as his hands clenched on her hips, holding her in a steel grip that was just shy of painful. And even then he was careful with her, because she knew his strength and how easily he could have left black marks on her pale skin. His eyes ignited with pale blue sparks before they were hidden behind the black sweeps of his lashes. Bella watched him in fascination, her own pleasure magnified by his.

She could feel the heavy throb of him where he lay locked behind the buttons on his jeans and her hands honestly _itched_ to reach down and stroke her fingers over him. That she even had the urge was a surprise…but…not an unwelcome one. And maybe she would get the courage to follow through on it another day.

Right now, though? Right now, Paul was pulling her back up against him and holding her, soothing away even the remotest shred of disquiet in her mind. It was so incredibly easy to give in to him, natural even. And getting to cuddle up to him in the proverbial afterglow was kind of…awesome. His hand were gently fisting her curls in a way that was intoxicatingly soothing, leaving her limp and tingling, her head tucked under his chin. His heart beat a slow, steady tattoo under her cheek, a sound that she loved to listen to.

Then she was drawn out of her lazy calm by a low chuckle. Lifting her head, she glanced at him questioningly.

“Need to go shower,” he explained ruefully and Bella scrunched her nose.

“Fair enough,” she responded, remembering that he must have….er…let go…in his jeans. And that could _not_ be comfortable.

Giving in to the urge for a good hard stretch, Bella lifted both arms and yawned widely, forgetting for the moment that she was bare to the waist until his fascinated touch grazed across a puckered nipple. But to her credit, she didn’t jump. Nor did she feel the urge to hide herself from his glittering gaze. His hand slowly cupped around her breast as he bent and laid a soft kiss on the rounded curve. Then he was easing her off his lap with a low groan. “Gotta stop now or I won’t,” he murmured as he stepped away with a faint but noticeable limp, snagging his towel from over her closet door as he went.

Then he was gone and Bella flopped backwards onto her now empty bed with a huge sigh.

Because yeah…that all just really happened. Holy. Crap.

But glancing up at the clock, she decided that she’d been in bed long enough and stepped over to her closet to fish out some comfy clothes. She still didn’t know what exactly she was going to say to her dad and needed to make a mental list so she didn’t forget key points that needed to be made.

Her phone vibrated on her bedside table and Bella groped blindly for it as she hurried into her clothes. She knew Paul wouldn’t be long in the bathroom, he wasn’t really prone to taking long showers and now that he was away from her, modesty was beginning to reassert itself.

Glancing at the screen after she got her shirt over her head, she was shocked to see three missed calls and about ten different text messages, all from Angela.

_Oops_ …

Angela had made her promise to call her last night after she got everything with Paul sorted out and she had completely forgotten! Guilt flared and she hurriedly hit the ‘call back’ button. She danced from foot to foot impatiently as it rang three times.

“Bella?” came an out of breath Angela.

“Hey! I’m so sorry! I meant to call you back but we got in late last night and went straight to bed.”

There was a sigh as the other girl got herself collected. “So how did everything go? I take it that since he slept over that you guys are okay?”

Bella groaned. “It was…interesting. We came to an understanding and I’m not quite sure what you’d call us at this point but it’s no longer strictly friendly. Then we both got called in by his boss to cover some shifts and I got to learn a bit about bartending. Totally fun, by the way!”

Angela chuckled at Bella’s enthusiasm, then got back on topic. “So I was right, then?”

Bella huffed a laugh. “Yeah, you were right. As usual.”

Her door clicked open and Paul stepped back inside, a towel slung low on his hips. He sauntered closer and dropped a soft kiss on her upturned lips before making his way to the window and looking out into the snow covered yard.

“So you talked it out and got things squared away. That’s awesome and I am so happy for you!” Angela exclaimed.

But Bella didn’t answer. Couldn’t have even if she had wanted to…because Paul had dropped the white bit of terrycloth to the floor. His golden skin shimmered with water droplets where they trailed down his body from his wet hair, glinting like jewels in the early morning light. And there were absolutely no words to describe him, because he was staggeringly beautiful. Perfection was his as he stood there before the window, unabashedly nude in such a feminine space.

His presence seemed to absolutely dominate the room, leaving Bella unable to articulate a single word as Angela continued to speak, getting more and more worried as Bella failed to respond. “Bella! Are you still there? Is something wrong? BELLA!”

He had stepped into a pair of jeans and was pulling a shirt over his head when he glanced up at her, pale eyes gleaming with mischief and Bella flushed a dark red. When he winked at her, she knew for certain.

She snorted despite her blushing and tried to bluff. “Sorry. I’m here. Paul’s just being an exhibitionist.”

“…”Angela apparently didn’t know how to respond, other than sputtering quietly.

Paul narrowed his eyes playfully before stepping closer, stride slipping into a predatory prowl as he neared her. Her own eyes widening, Bella fought not to back upretreat even as he moved in so close that she could feel the heat radiating off of him. “Exhibitionist?” he mouthed silently, lips curved in a way that made her want to kiss them. A dimple peeked into his cheek before he bent towards her ear…and made a sound that had Bella blushing furiously just to hear it. Low and lustful and completely animal, it made her baser urges jump up and down and beg her to climb him like a tree.

“Oh my god,” Angela gasped, and Bella realized that the other girl had gotten an earful.

White teeth nipped her neck, threatening to befuddle her as Angela stutteringly told her to call her back later when she was free.

“Uh huh,” Bella responded a bit belatedly, wide eyed and unaware that she was speaking to silence as Angela had already hung up on her dazed friend.

Paul just chuckled, plucking the phone from her nerveless fingers and tossing it lightly onto the bed where it bounced on the mattress.

He backed away a step. Then another. And another. Till he hit the bed and he sat, legs splayed wide. His lashes dipped low before he glanced at her from under them.

And when he beckoned her closer with a crook of his finger…she went.

  
>}:{<

 

Winter sunrises were always one of Leah’s favorite sights. The darkness slowly being chased away by the sun, the bright sun gleaming over freshly fallen snow. The color and the peace, the birds singing to usher in the new day. Yeah…pretty girly of her, but then again she really didn’t care much what people thought of her.

Well, that wasn’t quite true...

She sighed. Couldn’t even lie to herself all that well. And she would dearly love to at this point. Because things couldn’t be more screwed up.

She had finally gotten over her loss of Sam and was _just_ getting to the point where she might begin to forgive the two of them, if only for her own peace of mind. It had taken _months_ of soul searching to get to that point, because she was well aware of the way Imprints _supposedly_ worked…the Wolf would be whatever the Imprint needed them to be and all that crap. Which meant that she couldn’t even really blame Sam for being a victim to his own genetics, because if Emily hadn’t of been so needy for a perfect soulmate love story, Leah’s heart might not have been crushed in the fallout.

But she supposed that trait of the Imprint was a mixed blessing, because it kept Embry _far_ away from her.

Guilt stabbed at her for her treatment of the kind young man, but she could hardly bear to see that kind of love in someone for herself. It was just too much. Too hard. And unfair, because she hadn’t done a damned thing to earn it. It felt _wrong_ to accept something that she hadn’t earned in her own right. She just wished she were strong enough to reject him completely and save them both the pain of her imprint…and maybe his own as well. Because he did _not_ deserve to be forced to want someone who was as relationship-scarred as she was.

She dropped her chin atop her knees, wrapping her arms about her legs as she sat on her bed looking out the window.

Why couldn’t things be as simple as the sunrise? It was beautiful and reliable and useful. It didn’t hurt you if you were smart. It didn’t rip out your heart and thoughtlessly stomp on it on its way towards your cousin.

Now, at this time in her life, she could honestly say that she almost felt sorry for Sam. He’d never had a choice in the matter and she supposed that looking back, while Emily was a perfect fit for him, it didn’t change the fact that his free will was called into question. Just as her own was now. Because she could feel her heart reaching for someone that she didn’t want to be there. It she was going to trust her heart in the hands of another, she wanted it to be by her _own_ choice and not the whims of the Wolf gods who decided who it should be _for_ her.

_But_ , whispered a treacherous little corner of her heart, _if you had to pick someone, you couldn’t find anyone better for you than Embry._

She scrunched her eyes shut, trying to block out the voice that sounded so completely rational.

But it was right. Embry was kind and sweet. Thoughtful of others and quick with a shoulder to lean on or an extra pair of hands if needed. All things that Leah would have looked for in a potential mate. All of this wrapped up in an incredibly handsome package that appealed to the female side of her as well.

It just wasn’t fair!

Most days she felt she had done a decent job at repressing the feminine side of herself and existing as a perfectly sexless being. As if removing the qualities of being female made the heartbreak of being Wolf a bit easier to bear. Having to have her mother chop her prized mane of hair short had been just another insult added to the injury of having to see inside of Sam’s head every day and _witness_ just how much he loved someone who wasn’t her. Loved her cousin _more_ than he ever had her.

Was there something wrong with her? Was she just not as lovable as Emily?

She swiped angrily at her cheek when she realized that the small tickle she had felt was a tear escaping and rolling down her face towards her chin.

_Oh, Jesus, Leah! Get a God damned grip on yourself!_

Pulling out her cellphone, she bit her lip as she came to a decision. Emily used to be the one she would go to with her problems, but for obvious reasons that was now out of the question. Kim was sweet but a bit of a flibbertigibbet and they weren’t that close besides. But Bella?

Bella could keep her mouth shut like none other and was always there with an open mind and a free ear.

Scrolling through, she came to the right entry and opened a new text message.

- _So I kind of need someone to talk to. I have online classes till about_

_three pm…are you free after four?-_

She was waiting for a response when the sound of the doorbell chimed through the house. Glancing down at her phone with wide eyes and seeing no response, she hurried down, wondering if the girl had simply been in the neighborhood on her way to Paul’s place or what because that had been uncannily quick.

Running down the stairs, she wasn’t sure why but she peeked through the peephole…and softly slammed her head against the door. _Fuck!_

“I can hear you, you know,” Embry said mildly through the door. “Can you let me in? I think we need to talk.”


	26. Intermission

Leah resisted the urge to smack her head on the door again, because braining herself before a altercation from the least confrontational male she’d ever met was not a clever plan.

She was surprised as hell that he had actually showed up at her door. All he had done for the past week was watch her with confusion mixed with uncomfortable traces of awe. The confusion she could understand, because half the time even _she_ didn’t understand what made her tick lately. She was a mass of anger and fluctuating hormones. And if she wasn’t raging at someone, she wanted to cry a goddamned river.

The hot flashes, above and beyond anything she had ever taken notice of in any other Wolf’s mind, were absolutely ridiculous and made sleeping through the night an outright bitch. Her clothing was twice as scarce as that of any of the male Wolves because she was prone to ripping them off in her sleep.

And for a girl with three others in the house and no lock on the bedroom doors, sleeping naked wasn’t really an option.

“Leah?”

Wincing, she reorganized her mental processing.

It was the awe that she didn’t like, because it smacked of that unnatural attachment that had already just about broken her. _Imprinting_ , she mentally spat. What a load of utter bullshit. As if soul-mates were something that had to be romantic in nature. Because to her, the way the Legends spoke of it, it smacked of a supernatural breeding program, and Leah wasn’t anyone’s broodmare.

And the artificial attraction part of the deal was just…creepy. Sam had lost a part of himself that she had loved about him when he had succumbed to his Imprinting urges. The little thing called free-will. Oh, he could say no to Emily, and frequently did. But that part of him that had always fought for his right to go his own way in life had disappeared, buried under a landslide of duty and responsibility to Emily and his tribe.

Responsibility for a Wolf-pack that was rightfully Jacob’s….a boy who wasn’t ready and might never be. Oh, he was trying. Everybody with eyes could see it, and he had come a long way in the past few months since Bella had cut him loose. But he was still only sixteen years old and far too young to have such an obligation thrust upon him. _Sam_ was too young at twenty-two.

“Leah. I can hear you breathing in there,” came the slightly exasperated, faintly amused voice of her Imprint.

Fuck. It was a good word and apt, because she was royally fucked by fate and nature and now her inability to hold her breath long enough to convince Embry that no one was home. But she had never been the passive-aggressive type and so she squared her shoulders and took a deep breath before reluctantly opening the door, intending to do whatever it took to make him leave so that she could continue to brood in peace and quiet.

But she was to be disappointed as, instead of standing there politely waiting for her to dig her proverbial claws in, he shouldered past her through the opening and let himself in.

“Welcome into my home,” she snorted sarcastically, only faintly disappointed that he didn’t rise to the bait. She could do with a good argument to get her mind off things. And she _wanted_ so very badly to be angry at him, even if she knew that it was completely irrational. Unfair, because he was every bit as much a victim to his own genetics as _she_ was. He had only just been allowed to tell his mother about all of this Wolf fuckery, having fallen into the category of pre-Sam’s epic showdown with the council. The poor woman had been at her wits end, thinking that her son had dropped out of his AP classes and then out of school completely because of delinquency. To find out that he was out in the woods risking his hide for his tribe…for _her_ …had both touched and frightened the absolute bejesus out of her. She had asked if there was any way he could stop Phasing, but when told that it was genetic and not simply a choice to be made, she had done her best to take it all in stride.

Shaking her head, she focused on the here and now. Because right now? Embry was watching her intently, eyes on hers in a way that raised her hackles like any Wolf being stared down. But as if sensing the thought, he took the aggression out of the gesture by sitting in the wingback-chair, putting himself into a lower position. It worked, because Leah’s instincts to lunge settled as she took the sofa opposite him.

He was quiet for the longest time, and Leah found her anxiety growing. What the hell did he want? She’d thought she’d made it pretty clear that she didn’t want anything to do with him at this point. She didn’t like the sick feeling in her stomach when he came near, because she couldn’t tell if it was more disgust that fate had yet again fucked with her or hesitant pleasure that fate had picked someone perfect for her. Which was also not fair, because he hadn’t chosen _her_. She’d been chosen _for_ him, and that made her feel even lower, somehow.

Wasn’t she good enough to be chosen on her own merit? Did she have to be foisted off on someone else like some kind of consolation prize? Here, you may _have_ to be a Wolf and risk your life protecting your people with very little thanks in return, but you can have the freak female Wolf as a mate. She can’t even do what we said an Imprint is supposed to do and give you children, because along with fucking with her life, we took away her monthly as well. Cheers.

She was woman enough to admit that that last part had hurt, as if she were somehow less female now and more of a genderless foot-soldier in the ranks of the furry-inclined. Sure, she still had tits, but so did more than half the population. It was the ability to bear life that set apart the women from the men and she had lost that.

She was well aware that with the sudden and significant increase in muscle-mass as well as the decrease in body fat, that she, like most female athletes, had lost her menses. But it was not something she could change, not like she could just abruptly decide to stop being a Wolf as she had touched on before in her thoughts about Embry. And in her heart of hearts, she had always wanted to have a child. Wanted to be mom to a little girl who was just as stubborn and headstrong as she herself had been. Wanted to brush her long hair and smile to herself while the young girl insisted that she could dress _herself,_ thank you very much. Granted, she had always thought the father would have been Sam, but now that was about as likely as her sprouting wings and proclaiming herself to be a Pegasus.

Sam. Now, there was another thing that still stung. Because she had been in love with Sam Uley ever since the day that she discovered that boys were good for something other than pulling your braids and passing cooties. She had admittedly built her whole future around marrying him and becoming a lawyer while he went on to become the grade school teacher that he had always wanted to be. Sam was incredibly good with young kids, something that had always touched her to witness and made her fall in love with him all over again. Every. Damned. Time.

Now, while he made a good living, it wasn’t in his chosen field because he could never leave the tribe. And, no matter what anyone said and how they praised him for his contributions, not many Quileute wanted a Shape-shifter teaching their children for a variety of unfair and sadly understandable reasons.

Leah scowled at her more charitable thoughts towards Sam, uncaring how Embry may take the gesture, because she wasn’t ready to forgive the Alpha just yet. God, she really wished that she’d had the time to talk to Bella beforehand. The girl tended to have a good head for working out problems and this one was littered with landmines and bear-traps.

For his own part, the younger Wolf was a touch surprised at the expression. What could possibly have set her off again? He hadn’t even opened his mouth yet to plead his case, and already she looked ready to toss him out on his ear. Or try to, at any rate, because he wasn’t so willing to be put off anymore. He had yet to tumble into the yawning abyss of unnatural adoration prompted by the Imprint and he wasn’t willing to take that dive without knowing she was right there with him. And going by the look on her face _that_ was going to be a long time in coming. He cocked his head as he watched her, surprised as she seemed to get far more agitated as time went on. She would occasionally bite her full lower lip, which he found to be an oddly sexy gesture on her, then fidget with the hem of her tank top.

But she seemed to finally have enough of the silent stalemate and stood up in a rush. “I have better things to do than wait around all day,” she huffed, already skirting past him towards the front door to let him out.

He thought that he must have honestly surprised the both of them when he reached out and gently shackled her wrist in his hand, drawing her to a quick halt. Her brows rose in surprise as she looked down at their hands then back up at his face. “Sit,” he said quietly, his tone quiet but uncompromising, shocking himself yet again that he had the balls to tell this incredibly independent and self-possessed young woman what to do. Even more astonished when a thoughtful look crossed her face and she actually sat back down, finding a little more patience inside herself to give him.

Knowing that he had somehow bought himself a fraction of time to plead his case and that it would likely not last long, he didn’t bother with pussyfooting about and trying to find an easy way to bring up what he needed to talk about. He simply bit the bullet and jumped in head first and hoped like hell that he came out of this unscathed. “I want to know why you are trying to deny that a mutual Imprint has happened between us.”

Her eyes widened almost comically in surprise, either at his audacity or with the beginnings of truly spectacular anger, he couldn’t yet tell. But she stunned him when she didn’t burst into righteous wrath and tear him down like some sort of avenging angel. Her sharp eyes, eyes that he was only now truly appreciating for their dark beauty, flashed with keen intelligence.

“Why would you think I would want anything to do with it after my history with it,” she retaliated.

Embry internally winced but didn’t let it show because he suspected that, like any Wolf, once she sensed weakness she would take him down and this was far too important to let her ride roughshod over him. He mulled over his possible responses, but it all boiled down to one, and even though he knew that it might hurt her, he was tired of paying for another’s mistakes. So he had Imprinted on her. It wasn’t something he could have helped any more than he could have helped the fact that his mother had unknowingly had an affair with Sam’s married and stupidly charming father and produced one of the Tribe’s valued Protector’s. It was a closely held secret that he was Sam’s half-brother, one that the other man had helped by giving him an Alpha order not to think of it while in the Pack mind in case he slipped, because Embry did not want his dirty family laundry aired. Not even Jacob knew and they had been friends since toddlerhood.

With a silent apology to his absent Alpha, Embry squared his shoulders. “I’m not Sam.”

The female Wolf actually winced. But she held her ground and his eyes, refusing to show a chink in her armor. “You’re right. You’re not Sam. I don’t know you as well as I knew Sam, so if he screwed me over with our history, why should I give you the benefit of the doubt when you haven’t earned it?”

Again, it hit home. She was right, they weren’t all that close before this had happened. He had not earned any grace from her, because he tended to avoid her, her boiling anger something he had simply chosen to sidestep because he didn’t want to get in the middle of a lover’s quarrel. And while he certainly thought that she had reason to be angry, he had always been of the opinion that she should have let go of it by now. What was done was done and there was no way to undo it. Besides, couldn’t she see how happy the two were? _They_ could be happy like that if only she would let them. She was the one determined by fate to be his perfect mate and she wasn’t letting him in, wasn’t letting him love her like she deserved to be. He suspected that the reason that he didn’t already love her to distraction was because she truly didn’t want him to.

Leah narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “Did you ever wonder why Sam and Emily are so gaga over each other when it took a while longer for Kim to accept Jared?”

Embry was a bit thrown over the seeming subject change but answered just the same. “They knew each other first.”

Leah smirked bitterly. “Or maybe it’s because Kim, despite her flightiness, is romantically more sensible than my dear cousin is.”

“What do you mean?”

Leah shrugged. “When we were kids, I was always the one who got into scrapes and got myself back out of them. Emily was the one waiting to be rescued by mommy and daddy. She wanted to be a princess when she grew up and marry the handsome prince. When we were teenagers, she had thankfully come back to reality, but she still had that desire to find her Prince Charming.”

“What does that have to do with Kim and Jared?” He was honestly lost.

“Kim is a flake, but she’s practical about romance. Friendship is easy. Love takes time and effort. It doesn’t just jump in your lap and produce hearts, flowers, and singing birds. She didn’t let Jared’s attachment to her become the lover-type overnight. She made him earn her affection properly and did not accept anything but friendship from him until she was sure that she had earned it from him in return.”

“Emily was still looking for that perfect fairytale love, and she took it when the very first opportunity presented itself. There was the handsome Wolf who could love her like none other, and it was ordained by the Gods of his people. She decided that it was meant to be and so it was.”

Embry felt a flash of unease tighten his stomach as the other Wolf continued.

“Did you ever think about the wording in the Legends? ‘The Wolf will be whatever their Imprint needs them to be’? Because I have. All too often. She could have taken him as a brother, but instead she needed the perfect lover. So she took mine without thought to what she was doing. And Sam? He fought it, I know he did. But even he thought that an Imprint is supposed to mean true love because it’s like a fucking fairy tale come to life. I looked into it, you know,” said, her voice rough with emotion. “If she had told him that she could use a friend or brother, then I would still have my life. But she _told_ him to love her…and so he did.”

“But that would mean that-” Embry began uncertainly.

“That would mean that he’s under a gods damned spell, another continuation of this Brothers Grimm horrortale.”

“Then by your accounting, Kim and Jared don’t love each other either.”

“No, Kim firmly believed you have to know someone before you love them. Their imprint made them more likely to hang out unless they discovered they didn't get along. Along the way they fell in love.”

Her eyes were a bit shiny, but she was strong as fuck and refused to let them fall. Something he actually admired about her…when he wasn’t being scared of her. But this new bit of information was…honestly a bit staggering. If Emily had had a choice and had _chosen_ to take Sam from Leah, oh not out of spite he was sure, but from some misplaced girlish ideal, then Leah had every reason to loathe the other woman. Because she was right. Here he was waiting for her to tell him to love her and she had done nothing to earn such an emotion from him. He had fallen under the Wolf Love Voodoo just like his brother had and the thought of his own complacence in such an important matter kind of scared the absolute shit out of him. He could hardly believe that she was the only one to have put it all together, and the blindness of everyone was disturbing on a monumental scale. But saying that all she had told him was true…where did that leave him and Leah?

“So pardon me if I don’t trust the romantic intentions of another Wolf with his Imprint urges. If you can be happy with a friend, then that I can do, but don’t expect me to jump for joy that I get to be the consolation prize to your Phasing into this craptastic life.”

_Ouch…_ that last had hurt. But it also hurt to think that she thought so little of herself. Consolation prize? As in the shitty prize that was not truly wanted but accepted to make up for losing out on the big prize? Jesus… “You’re no one’s consolation prize.”

Leah was an absolutely gorgeous woman. Striking in every way and the stuff of teenage fantasy. Tall and slim and shapely, she would have fit right in on a Victoria’s Secret walkway if she ever had aspired to such a thing.

But she was bitter and hard from her experiences with the way life had dealt her blow after blow and the disloyalty of her cousin and the man she had loved most in the world. He had had glimpses of her in Sam’s mind occasionally, of the way she had been before the grand betrayal. A softer, gentler Leah with a cheeky smile and kind embraces for those who needed them. The sort that Bella still received because she was one of the very few that Leah could afford to trust anymore.

And Embry found himself wishing to be counted in that small and exclusive group, wanted to be the one she went to when _she_ needed to be hugged. To be told that it wasn’t all as shitty as she thought it was and have her believe him.

Leah folded her long legs up onto the sofa and he had to fight to keep from admiring the sleek lines of them, because if she caught him ogling her then this fight was over before it had truly begun and she would hurl him out on his ass. Internally shaking his head at himself and his hormonal teenage boyness, he forced himself back on track. “We’re going for complete honesty here, right?”

She eyed him for a moment, then hesitantly nodded her head.

“You haven’t rejected me. Now, the way I feel for you doesn’t feel like what I see in Sam and Jared. And that makes sense, now, given your theories and this frankly eye opening conversation. Fucking Voodoo Imprints…” She blinked at him as he shook his head, as if surprised that he was giving them any credence. “However. I also feel that we _could_ be something completely incredible if you would just give it a chance. We’re already stuck in this and unless we want to hurt each other to break this, and from what I understand it’s excruciating, we might try to make the most of what we can be. No,” he cut in when she tried to interrupt him, “It’s my turn to talk. And I think a part of you knows this and wants it or you would have repudiated me already.”

He knew just then that he had said the wrong thing, because Leah was stubborn as all hell. She had already opened her mouth to do just that as he panicked and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Jesus, I know you’re bullheaded, but would you please just think about this?”

She scowled over his hand, resisting the urge to bite him. She also had to reign in the urge to simply prove him wrong and break his imprint out of spite. She’d still be stuck with her own unless he was mad enough to do the same. And Embry wasn’t much for hurting others if he could help it. She was stuck.  

He slowly pulled his hand away from her soft skin, already regretting the loss of any kind of contact but knowing that she’d likely bite his fingers off if he dared hold on much longer. She had not given him permission to touch her yet and he needed to respect that. “Leah?”

She focused on his eyes, her brow lifted questioningly.

“I know that you aren’t okay with this. I know you have doubts and they are completely valid ones. I just want to understand. I want to understand _you_ a bit better, because even if all you let me have is your friendship, I feel like I have let you down by keeping you at arm’s length. I know that it might hurt a bit to hear but I think you need to vent. And due to the Imprints, I’m a safe person to vent to.”

Her big doe eyes gazed at him in surprise. “I…I don’t think anyone in the pack has asked me that, before,” she admitted quietly. And no one had. They treated her as one of the males most days, forgetting that she was, in fact, female. Forgetting all the crap she had been subjected to as well, because while they had all Phased, they had not been forced to watch as their lover fawned over another inside their mind’s eye. Forced to know that but for a cousin’s need for romance, their life may have been completely different. She _still_ blamed herself for her father’s near loss, because she had freaked out and Phased in front of the man.

And there was the fact that she was a Wolf at all…a _female_ Wolf, of all freaky things. Something thought to be impossible until she had happened.

And slowly…very slowly, she began to talk. Of all the males in her Pack, this one was probably the safest for her to speak to, because he was right. His role as her Imprintee made him perfect to play father confessor. She shared with him her doubts about Imprinting at all, her fears that she would be expected to have little Wolf babies and the fact that she was afraid that she was going through premature menopause due to her new situation. Her deeper fears that without the imprint, he would never be able to love her on her own merit. Would never have even approached her.

“That last part _is_ true,” he returned just as solemnly, “but not for the reasons you think. I was always attracted to you, anyone with eyes would be, but you’re….well, let’s face it, completely out of my league,” he said a bit bashfully.

Leah felt her jaw drop a bit, because of all things, this was not what she expected him to say.

“And…you’ve been so angry lately that it makes it hard to _want_ to approach you. I’m not Quil, he _likes_ it when girls turn him down because he likes the challenge. I’m not like Jacob to chase after a girl who doesn’t want me. And I don’t love you right now, because you haven’t given me reason to. But I want to. We’re tied together, you and I. Fate or some stupid Wolf god spell, one way or another we’re in this for the long haul and I want this to be everything it can be. But it can’t be if you don’t want it and I won’t beat myself over the head trying to make you love me if you just _can’t._ So it’s up to you. Can we try to take this slowly and see where it leads us?”

Leah looked a bit nervous. “How slow?”

It was a concession and he forced himself not to jump up and start cheering. “We’re practically immortal, but I’d really like it if it didn’t take the rest of our lives.”

A reluctant smile curled her lips. “That seems fair. Just…please be patient…I’ve not had good luck with this and I want to make sure it’s _us_ before we jump into things.”

“That’s also fair,” he returned. He stood up, feeling like he’d won an impossible victory, intending to move to the door when a small hand on his shoulder stopped him. She bit her lip again, before standing up before him.

“I know I shouldn’t ask but-”

“Can I keep this to myself? You _don’t_ have to ask,” he said. He didn’t really feel like being in the fishbowl either.

“Actually…I was wondering if…?”

Embry lifted his brows in question, then had to bite back an unmanly yelp of shock as she stepped forward and carefully wrapped her arms about him. Surprise, however, did not stop him from returning the gesture and he held onto the woman who Fate had written to be his everything…whatever that turned out to be because the options were limitless. It was exactly the thing he had wanted, and had not thought to receive so soon. And he vowed to be worthy of the trust she was showing him if it was the last thing he did.


	27. It's My Life

The sun was beginning to fall below the horizon when Sam pulled onto the long dirt lane that lead towards his house. The radio was playing an oldies station and Sam was absently singing along with John Fogerty, mentally thankful that no one could hear him because he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket and he knew it.

It had been a hellaciously long day, starting at six am after a long patrol the night before. He had been trying to court a contract with a well-to-do CEO who was going out of town on business for the next month and had offered the early hour as the only time he truly had available until he returned. Sam had seen the test for what it was and pounced on that meeting with all the determination of a toddler on a favorite teddy-bear. As a result, he had a freshly signed contract for a rather sizable house in his grasp and the promise of steady work for a full six months, commencing as soon as the weather permitted.

Granted, construction hadn’t been his first choice in terms of careers, but it was a good and honest living. It also kept him outdoors most of the time which he greatly appreciated, as well as giving him a chance to stretch his legs and work off some of the extra energy that came hand in paw with being a Shapeshifter. Most of the Wolves worked for him in fact, providing them a reliable source of income without the fear of one day forgetting their own strength and lifting something they should not have been able to. Especially in front of those not in the know.

And speaking of those in the know…he hadn’t seen Bella in a while and he was really starting to miss the girl. The last time he had seen her was at the airport when he had come to pick Paul up and even then it had been a highly abbreviated visit. But above and beyond the bonding imperative that all but demanded he go find his little sister, he just wanted to talk to her and make sure all was well in her world. He had yet to get a chance to ask her how the sleepover had gone and he wanted to because he knew that she tended to avoid parties and the like and hoped that that Lauren twat had let her be.

_Fat chance, and you know it, Uley._

That Mallory girl could never leave well enough alone from what Bella had reported from time to time, having turned out exactly like her overbearing mother. Monica Mallory was a rich, pretentious pain-in-the-ass with Cougar inclinations who had eyed Sam up more than once. It gave him cold chills of something close to terror every time he felt her eyes crawling over him and he could never get away from her fast enough when he happened to run into her.

Her daughter was just as bad, though she tended to eye up guys who were far too old for her…Sam included. _Like mother, like daughter in terms of specific tastes,_ he supposed, curling his lip with disgust.

Shaking his head as he dismissed the topic from his mental meanderings, he pulled into the driveway, blinking into the brightness of the motion-sensor security light after driving in the near darkness of the evening. It was still early enough, however, that he might be able to catch Emily before she cooked dinner for the evening and see if she wouldn’t mind if he asked Bella over to eat with them.

Parking the truck, he reached into the opposite seat to grab his tool belt before hoping out of the driver’s side door. Locking it up for the night, he whistled tunelessly as he wandered slowly up the path. And maybe it was due to the darkness after having been partially light-blinded, but he was almost upon them before he realized that Bella and Paul were both seated on his porch swing. The girl was tucked in against the male’s side, arms wrapped about Paul’s waist as she basked in the heat the big Were was throwing off.

Was Fate working for him instead of against him for once? Maybe. But the expression on Bella’s face, nervous and a bit flushed…yeah that didn’t exactly bode well. Fate giveth and Fate punch you in the junk. But just maybe he was reading more into the situation then there needed to be? She could just be nervous about going back to school on Monday or any number of other things. And Paul seemed completely at his ease so it couldn’t be all that bad. Could it?

_Nah_. He was just buying trouble. Smiling, he moved forward and hugged Bella as she stood up, holding her close as she wrapped her short little arms tightly about him. “Hey, kid. Missed ya. How you been?”

“Good,” she mumbled into his shirt before pulling back with what looked like a genuine smile, the nervousness seemingly melting away before his very eyes. “Missed you too.”

“Whatcha doin’ here so late?”

“Oh. Leah had wanted to talk to me, but apparently she got things worked out all on her own and forgot to text me till I was almost to her house. So I went to Paul’s and took a nap,” she answered with a yawn that she hastily covered.

Internally, Sam hoped that meant that whatever had been eating at the female Wolf had been resolved. Outwardly, he simply nodded. He was also glad that Bella seemed to be getting enough rest lately. It had been touch and go for a while until they discovered that having one of the Wolves crash with her helped her to relax. He still wasn’t all that sure why it helped, however. Maybe it was the extra heat they generated, or maybe it was the comfort of sleeping with another living body. Either way, it worked, and thankfully Paul didn’t seem to mind bearing the brunt of the burden.

Sam pressed a kiss to the top of Bella’s curly head before gently nudging her in the direction of the front door. “Go on in. I’m sure we can talk Emily into making enough for all four of us if you haven’t eaten yet.”

“We already talked. She said that you would be home soon and would likely want us to stay so she started making a couple pans of lasagna,” Bella responded.

Right on cue, Sam’s stomach growled violently. He almost blushed as Bella sniggered and poked at his rabid stomach with one of her fingers, but damn it, he was starving and Emily made the best lasagna he’d ever tasted. “C’mon, let’s go in and see how they’re doing,” she said on another giggle.

“How long ago did she put them in,” he asked as he followed, Paul bringing up the rear with an uncharacteristically relaxed smile on his face.

“Bout twenty minutes ago,” Bella answered as she opened the door and stepped into the entryway. She followed her nose into the kitchen where the stove was beginning to let off the scent of Emily’s homemade sauce and stopped to sniff appreciatively. “Mmm…that smells amazing.”

The hungry smile on her face would have done Quil proud, food glutton that he was. Sam just chuckled and sat himself on a barstool. “So how did your party go? Did that bleached out twit and her accomplice leave you be?”

Bella suddenly scowled, her pretty face screwing up in irritation. “Lauren tried to have a go at me. It backfired, but she did try.”

“How so?”

“She tried to publicly embarrass me by making me admit that I didn’t have her level of sexual experience,” Bella said with a curl of her lip as she hopped neatly up onto the countertop with Paul’s help.

Sam snorted as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not sure that’s actually a bad thing. Brother-status aside, she’s kinda… _easy_ from what I’ve heard around town.”

“I know, but she didn’t have to try and make it seem like I was a freak just because I haven’t spread my legs for every Tom, Dick, and _Mike_ to walk through the door.” Her lower lip threatened to protrude and Sam hid a smile behind a fist, not wanting her to feel the need to slap at him. She was far more likely to break a hand then hurt him if she tried.

“So how did you turn it back on her,” he asked as the fridge suddenly beckoned for him to come retrieve a beer.

His back was turned as he perused his choices so he didn’t see the slow, wicked smile Paul tossed Bella’s way from under his lashes or the way she fidgeted and blushed. “She asked a question directed towards making me look like a prude, but all it did was make her look like an intrusive bitch.”

There was something about what she had _not_ said, something that seemed to be _missing_ about her explanation. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. Bella didn’t usually keep secrets, and those she _did_ keep were usually for a good reason. So while the Alpha Wolf in him wanted to pry at her a bit to see what he could possibly uncover, the brother in him felt he needed to respect her desire to keep her own council.

The timer went off and Sam picked up the oven mitts as he opened the oven door, pulling a pan of lasagna out to see if it was done. The bubbling, browned cheese looked good and Sam hummed in appreciation of the wafting scent before reaching in to pull out the other pan as well. Setting the pair atop the waiting trivets on the granite counter top, he dropped the mitts before reaching for his beer and taking a healthy gulp.

But he turned back to the pair as a nervous sound reached his ears…Bella clearing her throat. He lifted a brow in question, that sense of unease crawling up his spine like a chill once more.

She was winding the hem of her hoodie between her hands, her knuckles white as she bit her lip with an intensity that made Sam wince. But that wasn’t the end of it, because something in Paul’s body language had shifted like she’d tripped some sort of switch in him. Gone predator. His eyes glittered as they locked on the lone female in the room.

_That was new…and slightly disturbing for so many reasons._

But before he could attempt to process what he was seeing, Bella finally pulled out her courage from wherever it must have been hiding. “So. I have to tell you something. And I need you to not get mad.”

Sam blinked. But settled himself in to listen with an open mind.

“So last night. It was crazy. And I had forgotten to bring my overnight bag so I had to call Paul for…help.” Her words stumbled to a halt and glanced at him from under her lashes as if gauging his reaction to whatever she might say.

Sam kept his face purposefully blank, but inside he wondered why she didn’t just call _him_ , because Paul would have still been at work.

She took a deep breath, before starting up once more. “I called Paul…because I had had a couple of drinks. I know I shouldn’t have,” she hastened to assure him, because the male was scowling. “And I won’t do it again! I just…wanted to fit in for once,” she finished softly, shame coloring her voice clearly enough that Sam realized that Bella had had a normal, entirely human moment of weakness. Bella was a model student, A+ all across the board. And despite the fact that her best friend’s moral compass pointed due south, she clearly she wasn’t a risk for becoming a juvenile delinquent.

So he took a deep breath and held it, before exhaling slowly and nodding. She hadn’t done anything unforgivable and he suspected that even Charlie would have forgiven the girl if he ever saw the look on her face.

She bit her lip again, so sharply that this time he smelled traces of blood. “So anyway. Paul came. Right after my turn. I choose truth over dare, because I was afraid of what she would make me do if I choose to do a dare. When she asked what she did, I knew that she was trying to humiliate me. And it would have worked. If not for Paul.”

Sam furrowed his brows as he considered the significance of her statement. Because she was watching him _very_ carefully. And what she was implying was not something he ever wanted to think about. Because it was Paul. And he didn’t want to even _think_ about Paul touching Bella in any way other than purely platonic. If Paul had touched her in a way that… _wasn’t_ so innocent, then Sam would-

“So, yesterday,” she continued after an awkward silence, “Afterwards…well, Paul and I had a talk and we sorted some stuff out. We decided that we were going to try a… _different_ …sort of relationship…than the one we have had.” Bella was seemingly having trouble spitting out the words. Her voice was quiet and hesitant and she occasionally glanced at him from under her lashes, looking away before she would have met his gaze.

Then it all made sense. And Sam chuckled quietly. At first. It progressed into a full belly laugh as it all became clear. The stuttering, the nervousness, her inability to look him in the eyes? She was trying to pull one over on him and as usual couldn’t fib to save her own life. “I call bullshit,” he finally chortled as he turned to look at Paul, who simply lifted a brow and declined to comment. His actions further proved Sam’s theory to be correct, because if there had been any truth to Bella’s wild little tale, surely the bastard would have backed up her assertion.

Besides, Sam _knew_ Paul. The male was not the type to get sexually involved with anyone. Yeah, Bella was special to him, even Sam could see that. But anything more than friendship? Yeah…right. Paul’s brand of friendship with the girl was a lot more physical than any he’d ever seen, but that was the end of it. The male was also slightly screwed up when it came to his own physical appeal. He seemed to absolutely _hate_ it. _Hate_ the way people flocked after him like he was some sort of highly addictive narcotic and they were jonesing for a fix.

With all of that in mind, Sam couldn’t help the peals of laughter that echoed about the room. “Nice job, though. I almost believed it.”

Bella’s reaction to that statement was classic. Her eyes were wide and her jaw slightly unhinged as if she didn’t understand his reaction. “But…” she finally stammered out. “I don’t understand. What-”

“Good joke. The nervousness was a good touch, but you still gotta learn to learn to stop fidgeting and stuttering when you tell a fib.” The Alpha shook his head. “Not that I’m encouraging you to start fibbing or anything, but yeah. Nice try.” He winked at the gobsmacked girl who was still refusing to let it go for some reason. In fact, she just looked more confused.

She glanced at Paul who tilted his head to the side and then shrugged, lips curving up at the corners as if amused. She rehinged her jaw before turning back to Sam. “Uh…Sam…kinda not joking over here.”

“Oh, come on, Bella,” Sam said, snorting softly. “Gag’s over. Funny, but over.”

Now she looked frustrated. Her sweet face had scrunched up into a scowl as she glared at him, her cinnamon eyes heating with temper. “Why would I lie to you about this?”

“I don’t know. Why would you?”

She finally threw both hands in the air with a huff. Sam could be a stubborn bastard when he wanted to be and for some reason he was digging his heels in about this. Ugh. Like she had any reason to lie? “Sam. Listen to me very carefully. Look me in the face. And understand that I am not telling you a fib. Paul and I are together. Like, _together_ together. So you need to get over whatever this is in your head and get with the program.”

“Yeah. _Okay_.” The male rolled his eyes, then focused on her. Then finally he smirked and Bella was instantly wary. Because while Sam was generally a pretty good guy, even he had moments where he needed a good Gibbs-style smacking. “Kiss him.”

“’Scuse me?!”

“You want me to believe that you and Paul are a ‘couple’,” he said, finger quotes and all, “and I still call bullshit. So prove me wrong,” he said, smirk pulling wider with every word. “Kiss him.”

For a moment, Bella had a rather uncharitable thought…that Sam and Lauren had something in common. _Both_ of them wanted to put her on the spot. But whereas it was just business as usual for the blond Queen Bitch, Sam was being an asshat from what she suspected was a goodly dose of denial. He was her big brother and just the thought of her getting physical with some guy was enough to turn on the mulish stubbornness that he typically tried to keep to himself. So while Bella felt herself softening towards him with that in mind, it didn’t make the situation any less awkward.

_Well, fuck._

She didn’t want to put her newfound love life on display just because Sam was having trouble coping with reality. But she’d also thought that she would have had a little bit more latitude with her brother because she didn’t make a habit of lying to him.

“It’s just a kiss, Bella. What could it hurt?” Sam said, egging the girl’s temper on.

Later, he wouldn’t be able to say what drove him to pick a fight with his little sister, but right then he couldn’t seem to help himself. He’d been stressed for months. Even more so in the past two days, because he wasx terrified that he’d Phase wrong again and lose himself like he had when he had first Phased Wolf. He’d hardly dared to breathe every time he was required to be the Wolf for fear that the Bear was just under the surface…waiting for him to lower his guard long enough for it to break loose.

So when Bella presented herself as a target, that thing in him that was wild and saw weakness as something to be exploited focused in on her. Only, Bella didn’t crumble like he expected. She didn’t fold in on herself and tell him he was right.

Instead, she decided to display the big brass pair that being around her bastard bestie had apparently given her as she reached up and fisted her hands into Paul’s jacket, yanking him forward and down before pressing her lips to the male’s. And Paul went with it much to Sam’s appalled surprise, a smile curling his lips as they met the girl’s, both hands coming up to frame her face. Gentle and sweet, he met that demanding kiss with a carefulness that Sam would never have imagined to be in his repertoire.

Sam’s beer can dropped out of his suddenly nerveless fingers and hit the wooden floor with a muffled bang as it bounced off the rug and then splashed beer up the cabinets. His attention remained caught by the tableau unfolding before his eyes. The pair of them were seemingly lost in their own little world as Paul wrapped her ponytail around a fist and slowly tugged her head backwards to accommodate the differences in their heights as he stepped into her. Small hands uncurled from the front of the heavy biker jacket to slide up his chest and around the back of the Were’s thickly corded neck, pulling herself in tighter to that heavily muscled torso.

Clearly having been forgotten, Sam felt the undeniable urge to cover his eyes. So many things were wrong with this situation because here he was, watching his sister kiss a male that he’d thought to be emotionally sexless. He gaped as some indefinable line got crossed and the kiss drifted from something slow and almost tender to something vaguely…indecent.

Sam twitched uncomfortably, because truth to tell? That kiss was bordering on the kind of hot that made him want to scrub his own brain out with bleach for even _thinking_ such a thing about Bella and Paul. The kind that bordered on soft core porn territory because, apparently, Paul had frighteningly few inhibitions when it came to Bella. The sound that crawled up the big male’s throat just then was absolutely obscene, pulling a respondent sound from the girl that made Sam want to bleach his ears out as well.

A muffled thump and a gasp finally succeeded in dragging everyone’s attention towards the doorway. Emily stood there with a spilled basket of laundry at her feet. A hand was pressed to her lips as if she had tried to muffle the sound that had emerged and her eyes kept blinking as she watched them, like a stunned goldfish.

And Sam knew exactly what she was thinking, because the same thoughts were caught in a spin cycle in his brain. Everything across the spectrum from _what the actual fuck_ to when _did_ Paul finally discover that he was a fully functioning male? And why now, why with Bella? Because Emily was close to Bella and would worry about her safety at the Were’s hands. Paul had always been a bit dysfunctional about sex. He never so much as twitched when confronted by the sexuality of others, either live or on film. Sam had always simply assumed it was because he felt nothing for the subject.

_Clearly, something else had been going on…_

Looking back as the pair, Sam wished he had never seen either of them that way. Because Bella was flushed and boneless as she slumped into Paul, her eyes hazy. Paul was almost as gone as Bella as he nuzzled his cheek against the top of her head, his lips faintly kiss-swollen, his pale eyes glittering with lazy arousal as he gazed back at Sam from under his lashes. His tongue flicked over his upper lip as if he could still taste her. Sam was half relieved that Paul was still facing the counter, however, because he didn’t want to see if the eyes matched the body. The other half of Sam? Not so much, because all of _that_ was pressed up against his little sister, who apparently was no longer as innocent as she _had_ been.

Anger was the next emotion that ran riot through his mind, because again… _THAT WAS HIS GOD DAMNED SISTER!_ She had no business looking like that for _anyone_ , let alone a cold hearted sociopathic fucker like Paul! She was supposed to stay chaste and innocent for as long as he could help it before finding some quiet and even-tempered _human_ to date. Then she would only have sex once a week for procreations sake, before having the requisite two point five children so that he could be an uncle and Charlie could be a grandfather!

Sam was well aware that he had gone pretty far off the rails at this point, but finding a good place to re-merge was proving problematic. His heart was hammering away with adrenaline and his hands were shaking. Taking a deep breath, he reached back and found the barstool with his ass, plopping down as Emily came forward. Her soft footsteps echoed oddly in the quiet of the room as she approached before she placed a calming hand on her mate’s shoulder.

“How…”she cleared her throat before pulling out a wavering though wholly genuine smile. “How long have you two been…romantic?”

Bella smiled back, one hand coming up to stroke over the Were’s stomach in an absentminded caress. “We just decided to try it out last night.

So it was likely that they hadn’t progressed much beyond kissing, Sam tried to reassure himself. Though as comfortable as the two were with each other, it was probable that Bella’s virginity was soon to be a thing of the past.

But…if he were going to be fair about it, Paul had been very good to and _for_ Bella. He had been there for her every time she needed him and _then_ some. He had earned Charlie’s acceptance despite having long ago stacked the deck against himself.

_He just absolutely **hated** the look in those alien eyes, knowing and indolently heated no matter his present company. _

A small hand squeezing his shoulder brought Sam’s attention back to Emily, and he smiled to show that he wasn’t going to explode all over them. He had just….needed to finish his mental rant before he sucked it up and wished them well. Because what else could he do? Bella was clearly happy about this newest development and Paul? His Pack-mate looked far more relaxed then Sam had ever seen him. The ever-present tension that constantly rode him and said more clearly than words that he was just spoiling for a fight had bled away under the gentle stroke of Bella’s fingers.

In fact, he was _so_ relaxed that Sam actually revisited the idea that maybe…just _maybe_ …the asshole actually _had_ Imprinted on Bella and just not said anything about it. He was a secretive fucker that way. Sam had only just found out that Paul was mechanically inclined and also knew his way around a sworsdmith’s hammer. He supposed that he was guilty of not paying as much attention to the younger male as he should have been…

_Not the point, Sam!_

The point was, for as many signs as there were pointing to Imprinting being a likely possibility, there were just as many saying that he had _not_. The day that Jacob had manhandled Bella? An Imprinted male would have torn the kid limb from limb, Alpha or not. And yet, Bella had made it crystal clear that she was perfectly capable of defending herself. She was also well able to defend her friend after she had nailed the younger Alpha in the junk for assaulting Paul. Granted, Paul had not been in the headspace to do anything for himself, but later on? Yeah, Jacob must have been born under a lucky star because Paul had left him alone.

“I’m…so glad for you?” Emily tried to make it sound like a happy statement, but it came out sounding more like a question than anything else. Because she was incredibly confused. Everything she knew about that particular male screamed that Bella was about to get her heart broken. Sam had hinted that the younger male might actually lack the emotional capacity to give of himself the way he would need able to  in any sort of healthy relationship. Emily feared the day that Bella realized that that same emotional capacity had been crippled in his childhood and left him limited in what he could give in return. The affections an animal was capable of giving and nothing more.  

Nevermind the fact that there still existed within the Were’s genetics the possibility of Imprinting and Emily didn’t want to see Bella crushed like her cousin had been. But such a thing might actually be a blessing in disguise, because if Paul Imprinted elsewhere then that would leave Bella free to find a safer, more stable relationship. With someone a bit more _normal_. And while she didn’t really wish Paul on _anyone_ , better almost _anyone_ else for Bella!

And yet she was torn, because if Paul left Bella…Bella didn’t deserve to be abandoned again, the last time it happened she had been a wreck. Months of work went into putting the girl back together and she was a great deal more attached to Paul then she ever had been to Edward. Losing him might very well cripple her fragile heart.

Blocking such depressing thoughts from her mind, she went back to the entryway and knelt to begin resorting the clothing that had spilled out all over the floor. Bella hopped down and walked over to help and Emily’s smile became a bit more genuine as the smaller girl bumped shoulders with her as she worked.

And everything seemed to be going hunky dory when a thought abruptly occurred to Sam. One he couldn’t let go of no matter how he tried. “Bella. Have you told Charlie yet?”

The girl blinked, then looked down at the neat bundle in her hands, fidgeting slightly. “Not yet.”

Sam scrubbed a hand down his face, before sighing as frustration began to rebuild behind his eyes in an ungentle throb of pain. “Why not? And given your sleeping circumstances, don’t you think he deserves to know?”

Paul snorted. “Come on, Sam. Give her a break. He came in late last night and was gone before we woke up this morning. She just hasn’t had time yet.”

Sam jerked his head around and glared. “Stay out of this, Paul!” he snapped before turning back to the embarrassed girl. “You-”

A low, vicious growl echoed off the walls and Sam went very still. The fine hairs on the back3 of his arms and up his neck stood on end, because that sound was dangerous as fuck. His eyes slowly widened and then rolled to the side as he turned his head to look over his shoulder. Pale, cruel eyes narrowed on him like a wild thing sighting prey. Paul’s lips were curled at the corners in an expression that was more a baring of teeth than a true smile, the lethal sharpness of his incisors glinting threateningly in the mellow light.

_Yet another point in favor of Paul having Imprinted?_

Maybe…because he was acting suspiciously like a dominant male protecting his female. But then again, it could also have been that Sam was behaving like a jerk and Paul was calling him on his shit. And Sam knew better than to heavy-hand this particular Were. Not that he _liked_ treating any of his boys badly. They didn’t deserve it, they already had enough on their plates without a cranky-pants Alpha to run roughshod over them. It wasn’t _their_ fault that he was having issues, lately. Said issues having baggage that came in a matched Gucci set.

He really needed to get his shit together.

But whatever the case was concerning the _Imprinting_ _issue_ , Paul’s warning shocked him back to his senses and Sam exhaled on a long sigh. Because it wasn’t like Bella, not since the Cullen’s departed, to keep those kinds of secrets.

“Sam?” He turned to face Bella, brows lifted in question. “I really will tell him. I just wanted to do it to his face. But he gets a break tomorrow and I’ll call him and tell him. Is that okay?”

Sam smiled without much humor as he came around the corner to kneel in front of Bella, feeling the tension in the room dissipate as he did so. “That’s fine, Bella. Hey, look at me,” he said, lifting her chin when she kept her gaze on his admittedly amazingly clean floor. He gently brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear as he waited. Forcing his smile to become a bit more genuine as Bella raised her gaze, eyes hesitant, he wanted to punch himself for putting that look on her face. “I’m sorry for snapping at you kid. I know better, I’m just having an off day. It’s nothing you did.”

She watched him carefully for a moment, as if making certain that he was being truthful, before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. “S’okay,” she mumbled against his shoulder.

“No. It’s really not okay,” he insisted. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just being an all-‘round asshole, today, and that is _so_ not your fault. Hear me?”

She nodded and he pressed a quick kiss to her curly head before standing up with her in his arms and walking towards the table, placing her in a chair before walking over to help Emily carry the food over to the table. Paul walked over with the plates and silverware before efficiently setting the table, eyes straying back to Sam occasionally as if waiting for another outburst. Sam didn’t blame him at all, because all he’d done since he’d parked in the driveway was jump all over Bella in one form or another.

The rest of them seated themselves and dinner was eaten in relative silence, which was just fine for Sam. Because the contract had been the brightest spot in his day. The rest?

Sure, it was just another day. On the surface. Work was done, fun was had, and boys were boys. Except when it went south. Because one second things were fine, and the next second Macey had thrown a paintbrush at Pierce, starting a brawl in the wreckage of the full pan of primer and the spilled paint can. Luckily, the carpeting had yet to be installed so there had been no big loss. They’d had to be scrubbed down with paint thinner and their hair still bore traces of their foolishness.

There was just one thing that was a bit disturbing about the whole incident. When Sam had tried to get the pair to stop, they had actually ignored him. He had finally resorted to letting a faint touch of his Alpha tone ring through, all for naught, because the pair never even paused. Thankfully there had been enough Wolves present to get the two separated and they had been banished to separate tasks at opposite ends of the house.

Looking back, it _was_ funny, but…even when asked, neither young man could explain what had really set them off in the first place. Neither twin was truly all that upset with their doppelganger with _both_ having apologized for their actions to each other and everyone else for the extra work in cleaning up the mess. Thankfully Quil had then shrugged and then added a good dose of levity when he had stated that the guys had done half of their work _for_ them, as the primer had been splashed up the walls as well.

Later, they were able to be around each other and worked quietly and efficiently, though both were strangely subdued, as if they were also bothered by what had happened. Neither mentioned having heard Sam’s attempt to order them apart, and Sam honestly wondered if they had actually heard him. It was so like what had happened the day the pair of miscreants had met the young man in front of him that it had shaken him a bit. It seemed as if something in them needed to fight and cared little for the target, just like Jared the day that his brother had phased and only he desired to hurt the younger Wolf no matter their shared blood.

Sam had resolved right then to see if there was even a distant connection by blood between the four, hoping against hope that it was an isolated incident. Because if it was a spreading problem then Jacob might have to take over sooner rather than later. His was the stronger Wolf because of his bloodline, resulting in a stronger Alpha command.

He just hoped like hell that Jacob was ready if needed, because this latest news would definitely test him. And despite all the drama that had circulated around him and Bella, Sam felt bad for him for what was soon to come. Because it hurt to lose your dreams. Dreams that you had piled all your hopes on for your future happiness.

Sam did his level best to hide his disquiet amongst idle chatter and smiles as the meal finally wound to a close. He had enough to worry about

 

**> }:{<**

 

Jacob watched as the last bit of glow from the sun streaked the sky gold, then red and finally the last shades of deep purple before it sank below the mountains. Luckily, Wolf eyesight being what it was, he had no problems making out the path through the woods that led towards his back yard.

He could hear the beginning of the chimes from the old grandfather clock in the living room and put on another burst of speed, practically skidding through the door that Billy held open for him, a sly grin painting the older man’s face in shades of amusement and faint exasperation. “Cutting it close, boy,” he called as Jacob Phased right there in the kitchen before shoving one leg and then the other into a pair of shorts. Whipping a t-shirt over his head, he was already racing for the front door just as a decisive knock sounded through the house.

Internally wincing and making certain that he was breathing somewhat normally, he pasted a smile on his face as he threw open the front door just as Old Quil was lifting his hand for a second go. A quick glance at the wrinkled face, however, showed no sign of irritation and Jacob forced himself not to sigh in relief. Quil’s grandfather was a well-known stickler for punctuality and the last thing he needed was to set himself back by showing disrespect to a powerful Tribal Elder.

He finally felt like he was making progress in terms of making restitution for his actions. It had been slow going at first, weeks of feeling sorry for himself and moping pathetically as he settled into his new circumstances. The loss of Bella, however, had actually been harder to bear then the disappointment of his father because he had pinned all of his hopes and dreams for the future on her; a girl with a heart and mind of her own that he had taken for granted.

Bella. Smart, beautiful, bighearted Bella who he had treated like a brainless bimbo. Bella, who had found room in her heart for the most unlikely of friends.

_He never should have tried to tell her who she could be friends with…it wasn’t his place._

“Is my tea ready, young man?” Old Quil’s surprisingly strong voice brought him out of his musings and Jacob was forced to shake his head ruefully.

“I did forget that. I’m sorry. Can I go make it for you right now?” He stepped towards the kitchen, a brow hiked in question. The old man just waved him on with a twinkle in his dark eyes, and Jacob was thankful that the Elder also had a sense of humor. Quil had come by his rightly, though the old man just might give him a good swat upside the head if he heard just how often the word _fuck_ actually came out of the guy’s mouth.

Jacob did his best to keep the ill-timed laughter to himself as he popped the mug into the microwave and set the timer. He made himself a peanut butter sandwich while he waited and polished the thing in three bites. It hardly made a dent in his hunger but it was far better than nothing at all.

Whistling tunelessly, he pulled the mug from the microwave and dropped a peppermint tea bag in, weighing it down with the teaspoon to let it steep and snagging a tea bag holder on his way into the living room. His father and Quil’s grandpa were chattering away, almost as bad together and Billy and Charlie were.

Damn. He missed the man who was more of an uncle to him than anything else. And while the cop was no longer treating him like a pariah, he was still distant. It was another way he had misjudged a Swan because he hadn’t imagined that the man could ever hold a grudge. Charlie, however, had managed. Not that Jacob could blame him for it because he was well aware _himself_ of just how far he had come unglued in regards to Bella.

She had been right. Her small stature and pretty face made her come across as far more fragile than she truthfully was, making her seem to be something to be protected and watched after. Only Bella wasn’t a _thing_. She was a young woman with a mind and heart of her own. She deserved to be treated with the respect one _should_ offer their best friend. It didn’t matter in the slightest that Jacob had wanted her for far more, especially since she didn’t feel the same. And even if she _did_ end up choosing Paul, which was likely given the way those two were together, she _had_ that right even if she did get hurt in the end. Giving advice when asked was a great deal different than trying to cram it unwanted down someone’s throat.

So far, her faith in the other Wolf had proven to be well-founded. Paul, who had once been threatened with charges of assault on a woman who didn’t understand that he really wasn’t playing hard to get. She had attempted to get both hands past his belt buckle after he had clearly informed her that she wasn’t welcome and he had responded by shoving her off of him a just little _too_ hard, back when he hadn’t yet gotten a good read on his newfound strength. Thankfully Charlie had called it like it was and said that the young man had a case if he wanted to counter charge for sexual assault.

And yet, strange that the Were in question had never left so much as a mark on Bella. Bella was all smiles as soon as Paul came around. He touched her with care and respect, something that even Jacob had failed at much to his own shame. He would _never_ lay hands on another female. Strange that that lesson had to be taught by the example of the least likely person.

And he made the girl happy. Her face was bright and smiling in the memories of his packmates. Sure, it had hurt to see her, at first, but he had slowly gotten used to the loss of Bella. That he could at least hold on to the fact that she still loved him was heartening, especially as a few of them had hinted that she might finally be coming around towards forgiving him his fuck-up. And honestly…taking the reason _for_ their fight out of the picture, he was actually kinda glad that Bella spent most of her time around Paul…because while most vampires saw humans as a food-source and little more, they might actually think twice about taking on the Were in question. Even that little mind-fucker Edward.

Shaking his head to rid it of stray thoughts, he walked back into the living room where incense was just beginning to trail in vapors through the house. The old man was fond of it when he told his stories and Jacob found it to be soothing as well.

It was a part of his ‘rehabilitation’, as it were. Learning about his tribal heritage, not just written accepted history but the tales and beliefs passed down by oral traditions as well. It was through these stories that Jacob had made startling discoveries.

The one that had helped him the most to let go of his more romantic feelings for Bella was the discovery that there was not _one_ Alpha Wolf in all of their Legends that had failed to Imprint.

At first, the knowledge that once more his heritage had stripped yet another point of free will from him had been maddening. Because he had not wanted to give up on Bella, despite their estrangement. But even he could face facts, and those facts stated that Bella was never meant to be his. And while he was glad, now, that she had never seen him as more than a brother and let things progress, he was also worried. Because Paul, to his knowledge, had not Imprinted on her either.

But unlike Emily, he was considering Paul’s _otherness_. What if… _hypothetically_ …the other Were never _did_ Imprint. On _anyone_? What if whatever it was that made him so different caused him to be free of such a possibility? Jacob could only envy him for such a freedom of choice if that were the case. And for the first time, that envy was not touched with jealousy or bitterness.

The blinders over his eyes had been removed for the most part and he could now see Paul in a much clearer light. The Paul that Sam saw. Quiet and remote, and so deeply angry with the world. Hurt by it in ways that had seared scars into his psyche. Hurt in ways that even Jacob could feel empathy for, because his own upbringing was full of love and the closeness of a caring, healthy family. His mother and father had loved him and his sisters with all of their being.

Paul’s mother had been a drunken mess of a woman, his father long gone by the time he needed a male in his life to teach him how to be a good man.

And yet, Jacob did not dare feel pity for him. Paul would not have thanked him for it. Would, in fact, be likely to turn hostile to any such emotion from another and Jacob did not feel that it would do anyone any good to start another go-round with the other Wolf, especially over something so personal.

All the ways that Jacob had felt things to be skewed in Paul’s favor? Yeah, not so much. So what if no one could easily get into Paul’s head. Because Sam was right, as was usual. What he had gleaned from the older Alpha’s memories did not paint a pretty picture. He did not _want_ to see into Paul’s head, terrifying place that it was.

So Jacob was poorer than Paul financially. So fucking what. Jacob had a dad who loved him enough to give him whatever kind of love was called for, be it the generous sort he had grown with or the tough love he had needed just after his attack on the Wolf in question. That Paul had earned Bella’s unconditional love? Good on him. Even _he_ deserved it, even if Jacob hadn’t been able to see that fact before it had cost him so dearly.

Yeah, Paul got to work off the reservation, but Jacob was finally seeing things for how they were. Almost _everyone_ in the tribe treated Paul like an outsider, even his own Pack. People did not look him in the eyes, and Sam had memories of Bella mentioning that little observation. And even Jacob had come to realize that he was guilty of such actions. So why the fuck should Paul ever work to be accepted if he was treated like crap from the get-go?

For Jacob, he could now admit that part of what the issue was, at least for him, was a lack of any sort of common ground. They had absolutely _nothing_ in common beyond their gender and their supernatural bent. And a healthy respect of the ruling Alpha. But whereas Jacob had accepted his place and followed Sam, Paul had this innate need to test the mettle of whomever claimed to be his dominant. A trait that should have come instinctively for the Alpha-born Wolf.

Instead, Jacob had reacted like the child that Bella had accused him of being. He had relied on the jealous instincts of the immature, ignorant brat that he was instead of accepting that Paul was just…different. Never mind that it was not yet his place to try and correct the older male, his father had also been right in that Jacob needed to learn forbearance for those he did not understand. It was a necessary quality for a good leader to possess.

These things rolled around in his head as Old Quil settled in front of the fire in a hand carved rocking chair to begin that night’s tale, hands as eloquently illustrative as his use of spoken language.

It had become a good learning tool for Jacob. One night a week, the Elder would appear before dinner and spin a yarn or two that told of their people’s history, teaching him of their people’s ways and beliefs. Kindness. Generosity. Strength. Spirituality. Understanding of those not easily understood.

The responsibility that he had once taken for granted weighed heavier than it had ever done before, the proper gravitas of it all settling on his broad shoulders not to break him but to teach him the measure of a good leader.

And yet…

He found himself uneasy. Because the tales seemed to contain hidden meanings in their telling. And he was starting to have doubts about the way things had always been. Why had they become Wolves? And why was it only _this_ tribe? At least that he knew of, anyway. Though, to be fair, with the way the secret was guarded, there may very well _have_ been others. What had made it possible, though? 

And this… _feeling_ he had begun having surrounding the concept of Imprinting? The unease that was beginning to seep through his mind when told of the way other Alphas had displaced a chief wife in earlier times for a new Imprint? Or setting them aside completely in more modern times when it was no longer acceptable to have more than one wife? Was it done from a sense of pure love, like he had always been taught…or was it something more disturbing altogether? Because Jacob had known Sam _very_ well before he had Imprinted and he had had no love for a compliant mate. Leah’s strength of character had been his joy. And while Emily wasn’t exactly a submissive, she wasn’t strong like her cousin was, either.

And yet Sam never voiced a complaint. Was he so changed by his transformation that Emily was now his perfect mate? Or was it something even more unsettling?

Driving such thoughts from his head for the time being, Jacob forced himself to pay better attention to the Elder who was beginning another tale of Taha Aki’s time. Ironically the story was about the day that the Great Wolf had first encountered Third Wife and the immediate pull he had felt towards her, forsaking even the princess of a neighboring tribe that he had been considering as a wife out of sheer loneliness. Humans _and_ wolves were very social creatures and he had spent more than a century alone after the death of his first two wives. His sons were a joy, but nothing made up for the lack of a mate to truly share his life with.

The eventual loss of Third Wife had utterly destroyed the man within the beast.

Jacob supposed that the tale was meant to emphasize to him just how much he would love the female he would eventually Imprint upon, but all it did was prove to him that such an attachment was frankly unnatural and more than a bit unhealthy. But what could he do to stop his very nature, other than to refuse to Phase anymore? That was not something he even had the self-control to attempt at the present time even if he truly wanted to give up his own birthright. Something he was not ready to do, even if it meant that he might have a chance at Bella.

And there it was.

Jacob blinked. But it did not change anything, because here was a decision that _he_ had made…all on his own. One not influenced by Sam or his father. A decision not dictated to him by genetics or the supernatural.

He, Jacob Black, was not willing to give up his heritage for the possibility of gaining the girl.

And yes, he loved her. Would always love her. But…

He hesitated.

She was worth a great deal. She always would be because she was the once in a lifetime girl. Unfortunately just not _his_ once in a lifetime girl. Was never _meant_ to be his girl, no matter what he had told her…that being with him would be as easy as breathing. It might have been…for a while. But when he Imprinted, her heart would break all over again, and this time it would be by his own doing. Now, however, she wasn’t as fragile as she had been and would likely have survived him just fine. He ignored the faint blow to his ego that the thought produced, knowing that Bella would never truly have been satisfied with an easy relationship anyway. She was far too passionate to ever settle for ‘easy’.

_And didn’t that just completely explain her relationship with Paul?_

>}:{<


	28. Blown Away - Carrie Underwood

Contrary to what she had told Sam, Bella wasn’t altogether sure that she was ready to come clean to her father about Paul.

Oh, she knew that she _had_ to. To do otherwise would not only be grossly unfair but it would be incredibly dishonest. Charlie deserved better than her lies, even those made by omission. And she wouldn’t do Paul wrong by denying her feelings for him. Pretending that things hadn’t changed would feel like the most horrible betrayal of the Were she loved.

She sighed and closed her eyes, hands braced against the tile as she dropped her head back into the hot stream of water and let it sluice down her body. The warmth was relaxing to her tight muscles as she talked herself into making the necessary. She had already written down her mental list of points to be made while lying in her bed next to a slumbering Paul. Notations made and scratched out, only to be re-added. Reworded.

_God, she was so anxious…_

And it wasn’t that Charlie was at all unreasonable! He had been more than reasonable about all the crazy in her life from the day that he had finally been informed about just _what_ the Cullens actually were. He had _had_ to be, because it had been quite clear that he was unequal to the task of helping her all on his own. It had taken her months to convince him after the fact that he had not been a bad father for failing to understand just what had happened. How the fuck could he have known that she’d gotten involved in the supernatural, after all? Just like he couldn’t be held responsible for the fact that vampires were addictive. Hell, _she_ hadn’t really understood it until Sam had explained that she was going through textbook withdrawal symptoms. The pain and depression. The shakes and starvation. The utter exhaustion.

And Charlie hadn’t even blinked twice when Sam had finally brought her home again, curling up with the girl that first night back. A grown man with a mate of his own. Oh, she had a suspicion that he had peeked into her room more than once through the night. But seeing nothing inappropriate occurring, had finally just accepted the new situation. Later, when Embry and Jacob had been added to the sleep-over roster, he had simply stated that as long as she was getting enough sleep at night, then he would not be making a fuss.

Paul…? Well, he had been a stretch for Charlie. But once more the man had stepped up to the plate and accepted whatever was best for his daughter, no matter how unlikely the solution had seemed.

_So why was she having such a hard time telling her father that she was once more in a relationship?_

Sure, she’d shown a remarkable lack of good taste the last time. Because really? Someone who was fated to eventually slip and _kill_ her because he wasn’t all that inclined to turn her? They would never be equals so long as he felt free to control her future.

Paul never did that. Her mind was her own and he respected her decisions. Her thoughts and hopes and feelings. She never felt uncomfortable sharing herself with him, because he never belittled her. Edward had. Constantly. Everything from what she wanted to be ‘when she grew up’ to what she wanted to wear. Where she wanted to go to college. News flash, it wasn’t in freaking Alaska. She didn’t want people to spend loads of money on her for an education that she could easily get at a smaller university. Hell, she wouldn’t even mind going to rainy Seattle…a place nearby her beloved family and Pack.

Bella sighed as she turned to let the spray hit her face.

_So why did she have this feeling that it was all about to go to hell?_

And she really needed to get a grip on all this gloom and doom crap she’d been caught up in, recently. Lately, very little had gone nearly as badly as she had been afraid of. Sure, Lauren hadn’t exactly been a cake walk, but Bella had come out ahead in the end. Ellie had been a minor nightmare, but Paul was too careful to fall for that kind of crap. And Jacob? Well, that situation was resolving itself from what she was hearing.

But Sam’s response had been such a complete and nasty surprise that she was hesitant to get into it with anyone else.

Charlie was far more level headed than most people, however. If he could see past Paul’s differences far enough to accept him as his daughter’s closest companion, then might it also stand to reason that he could accept him into her life in another capacity? _God, she hoped so, because she honestly didn’t know what she would do if-_

“Bella?”

She stumbled and squawked around a mouthful of water as Paul’s voice filtered through the room, her head whipping around towards the door that she was suddenly unsure of whether or not she had actually locked. Thankful that she hadn’t tripped over her own feet and landed on her ass, she swiped her hands down her face to clear her eyes of water. “Yeah?”

“You okay in there? I knocked. Few times, actually.” Hints of curiosity mixed with traces of what sounded like concern came through in that sleep-roughened tone.

Bella bit her lip, hating to admit to her worry-wart nature despite the obvious signs of it. God, she was such a freak. Couldn’t she just relax and get on with it? Worrying it to death wouldn’t help anything. Charlie would flip his lid or he wouldn’t. All she could do was be straight up with him and let him have a bit of time to process the situation. Beating the proverbial dead horse yet again wouldn’t make it any _less_ dead, and-

“Bella?” Paul’s voice was a touch sharper. Displeasure and worry and….oh my God, was that _fear?!_

Must have been, because the next thing she heard was the faint rattle of the doorknob as Paul apparently lost his patience with the current situation and simply removed the obstacle from between them. Bella skidded about in an attempt to cover herself as the door swung open, back once more towards the door and arms wound across her chest as if he could somehow see _around_ her. She forced herself to ignore the fact that her posterior was on display as she babbled at him nonsensically.

She did _not_ hear the soft clank of his steel belt buckle hitting the floor over the sound of her own voice as she continued to state the obvious as to her nudity and his presence. And yeah, she _had_ forgotten to lock the door, but there was no reason for him to be there, she was just fine! Really! That she was just being a nervous-Nellie covered the sound of the shower enclosure door opening, then clicking back into place.

But she couldn’t fail to take note when heavy arms banded gently about her midsection. Her mouth clamped shut as the futility of continuing to argue his presence sank in.

_Oh…boy…_

There was a whole _lot_ of very nude Were brushing along her back from shoulders to calves and Bella suddenly found herself getting oddly lightheaded. So yeah, he was unspeakably gorgeous and all of it was pressed against her, but that didn’t explain why, as seconds passed, she began to see spots.

“Gotta breathe, baby,” he rumbled, and Bella suddenly realized that she had been unconsciously holding her breath. She let it out in a rush before she foolishly collapsed to the floor, again thankful for his strength as it kept her upright.

Slowly, as if to keep from startling her further, he nuzzled a stray lock of hair from her shoulder and pressed his lips to her slick skin. “Could smell your anxiety over the water,” he murmured quietly, offering an explanation for his unease. Which meant it was bad, because water covered a multitude of scent-sins. One of his thumbs delicately smoothed over the curve of her bare hip in a back and forth caress that felt strangely soothing despite her nakedness. Her muscles were still locked stiff under his hold, however they were gradually loosening the more it became apparent that he wasn’t there to do anything more than offer comfort. And yeah…naked…but again, he had always been utterly shameless about his nudity and she most likely should just get over that.

Yeah… _someday._

His other hand left her waist and lifted to stroke down the back of the slim column of her neck, gently digging into the taut muscles there and urging her to relax against him. He wasn’t aroused, making it easier to accept that he wasn’t going to push any more boundaries just then. Her neck relaxed forward as she leaned back into him. He made a rumbling sort of sound that felt like a caress all on its own, and though Bella didn’t drop her arms, she no longer felt _quite_ so exposed in her bare skin.

One long arm reached down at the corner of her line of sight and lifted the shampoo bottle before squirting some into his palm, then carefully lathering it through her hair as he massaged it into her scalp. Bella felt a happy little humming noise leave her throat that pulled an answering chuckle from Paul as he worked. Then she covered her eyes as he pulled down the showerhead and rinsed out her hair.

By the time he had thoroughly conditioned and re-rinsed her hair, she felt boneless relaxation creeping through her body. Her arms had slowly dropped back down to her sides in an unconscious display of trust that he did nothing to betray as his hands drifted in a slow, thorough massage down her spine, further loosening the tension and leaving her in a pleasant state of lassitude.

“Better?” he asked quietly and Bella smiled even though he couldn’t have seen it.

“Yeah. Sorry. I need to get these silly panic attacks under control,” she responded with a scrunch of her nose.

“No worries. You got it all figured out?”

“I hope,” she grumbled. “I just need to call Dad and get it over with. I mean, it’s not like he’s gonna be pissed. At least I hope not.”

“Hey,” he cut into her rambling. “Why would he be pissed? You never lied to him about us. This just happened. And he’s an adult. He’ll deal.”

All very reasonable, and Bella nodded. “I know. I just…the way Sam and Emily reacted-”

Paul snorted derisively. “Emily has never really been all that comfortable with me,” he rumbled as he cut her off. “Doesn’t like me all that much, to be honest. Especially around you. And Sam is your brother. He knows where this is headed. He just doesn’t like it. I would assume _no_ big brother is entirely comfortable thinking about their little sister getting touched by _any_ male that way.”

“I suppose you’re right about Sam. Plus, he _has_ been majorly stressed lately,” she allowed with a thoughtful twist of her upper lip. “But what do you mean that Emily doesn’t like you?” she blurted out as she turned about, forgetting to worry about her own nudity. “Emily, who is like, the sweetest person I know? Sam’s Emily?!”

It was the first she’d ever heard of it beyond their initial disastrous meeting. And from what she understood, he _still_ would not take food from any hand but hers. Maybe it had to do with how close he lived to the beast. Wild wolves would not take food from your hand, either, unless they trusted you absolutely…and as far as she could tell, no one else had bothered to earn his trust. _But why would he think one of the sweetest people she knew actually disliked him?_

His lips curled up at the corners with wry amusement as he reached up to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear. “You might have noticed that Emily is a bit of a dreamer,” he said quietly. “An idealist. Lives in her happy little bubble. In her happy little home. With her perfect mate. A mate that she took from her cousin without a qualm. Because it was supposedly ordained by the ancestor of her cousin’s tribe…the very cousin she robbed.”

Bella bit her lip, because as much as she loved Emily, that part had never really sat very well with her.

His pale eyes glittered knowingly as he watched her, his thumb skating absently across her lower lip as he continued. “But…for as much as she is living in her perfect Disney fantasy world…a good mate, a loving family, the prospect of children, and the blessings of her tribe…there is just one thing missing for her...the one thing that she won’t even admit to herself that she wants.”

Bella’s dark brows drew together, for once not completely brain dead from his touch. But her mind was caught in a tilt-a-whirl of confusion.

“I have no doubt that she’s very fond of Sam. She loves him, easy enough to see. Probably thinks that she is _in_ love with him, too. The sex is no doubt good,” he said with a tiny smirk. “Well, enough, at any rate.”

Bella scrunched her nose reflexively in distaste, not wanting to even _contemplate_ her brother’s sex life. But Paul was being… _unusually_ talkative.

“But little miss Disney princess Emily? She’s convinced herself that she _has_ everything she _should_ ever want. Unfortunately that dark little part of her? The part that no little princess should ever have, much less admit to? It wants something a _whole_ lot darker and wilder. Also unfortunately, that dark and wild thing it wants is _me_. And she knows that she could never _have_ me. So she dislikes me, because I upset her perfect little applecart of a fairytale ending. And she dislikes me being near _you_ because she knows that _you_ can have me in _any_ way you want me.”

_Holy fuck…_

Shock exploded like shrapnel through Bella’s brain. Pingpong’d from one side of her mind to the other in unpredictable loops and whirls, because _holy_ _shit_!

She wanted desperately to refute what he had just said on principle alone, because that was her brother’s _mate_! Emily hadn’t made a peep when Sam had slept over at Bella’s, the few times he had done so before Embry and Jacob had taken over. Had welcomed her into her life with open arms and had helped put her back together with kindness and seemingly never ending patience. Now, it was a fact that she had not seen as much of the older woman since she and Paul had become friends, and even less so after her split with Jacob. She hadn’t really payed much attention to how Emily treated Paul, other than to be irritated by the continuing ostracization, sometimes subtle and quite possibly accidental to the mostly outright, of her best friend by everyone in his pack and their mates.

And yet…looking back she could remember times when the woman would go out of her way to _not_ be near him if he happened to walk by. She was never overt, but Bella could see the unease in her and had just assumed that it was fear like everyone else’s that had shadowed Emily’s eyes. She’d never treated Bella any differently, though she was quick to quietly insist that Bella be careful with those whom she offered her friendship to in the first few weeks of her association with Paul.

Emily still treated her with warmth and affection. Made her chocolate cake when she was down, and cookies just because. Hugs were given freely and without reserve. And she generously shared her mate’s time and attention with a girl who had needed it desperately, like a drowning person needed a life preserver.

She loved Emily for all those reasons and more.

But there was just one thing.

Paul had _never_ lied to her.

Oh sure, sometimes what he said could be open to many different interpretations. But outright lying was not a thing he did.

So when he said that Emily…well… _wanted_ him? As much as it upset her safe little world, she could take it as gospel truth. And oh God, Sam! If it upset her, what about him? How much must it hurt to know that the woman you had given everything up for wanted another? But he’d never given a hint of being unhappy with Emily. She knew Sam was a private sort, at least as much as he could afford to be so any problems that the older couple may have been experiencing in their relationship very likely might be kept to themselves. Even something as potentially devastating as this. It might also help to explain a bit of Sam’s tension, lately.

Still…as even tempered as Sam tended to be, she couldn’t imagine a world where he could know such a thing and still be friendly to the other man’s face. Sam just wasn’t two faced like that…never had been and likely never could be no matter the impetus. He wasn’t geared for such and Bella adored him for it.

“Sam doesn’t know…does he?” she asked quietly.

“No. Not yet, anyway. He’s not stupid, though. Eventually he’s gonna have her figured out. Won’t be pretty when that happens, and no doubt he’ll take a runner at me.” Paul shrugged, supremely indifferent to the possibility of a pissed off Alpha Werewolf gunning for him.

“You aren’t worried?” Bella didn’t even want to think about her brother attacking Paul in a fit of jealousy. Sam was no lightweight and she was afraid that it would get ugly before her big bro came to his senses.

“Depends on how this plays out. When she tips her hand. How long that takes. How on edge he is when he finds out. And how much I’m going to have to hurt him till he comes to his senses.”

Bella’s eyes widened in alarm. She knew that he thrived on violence in a way that she would never understand. _Could_ never understand because, while she loved him to distraction, he was as far from her sphere of humanity as a star was from a pebble in a stream. But different or not, she couldn’t bear the thought of unleashing the savagery of this particular Were on her hurt and grieving brother.

“Don’t have any desire to,” he added quietly with a quirk of his brows, somehow anticipating Bella’s outburst before it could surge past her lips. “And won’t hurt him more than need be.” His thumb gently eased her lower lip from between her teeth where she had begun unconsciously worrying it almost to the point of injuring herself. Then he bent and drew the abused bit of flesh between his own lips, drawing the tip of his tongue across the abraded surface in a slow, sensual stroke that threatened to completely derail her ability to think despite the serious nature of their conversation.

And she _wanted_ to think…had so many things to figure out and _worry_ over. Sam, and Emily, and Charlie-

A big, callused hand slid the length of her spine…then lower as fingers splayed downward over a water-slick cheek before squeezing, urging her forward and into him. And just like that, Bella’s train of thought jumped right off the tracks, waiving a tiny white flag in surrender as it crashed into a ditch and burst into flame. Because while the pleasure of wrapping herself around Paul while he was clothed was an experience that was pretty much burned into her brain for all eternity, Paul was naked now. Naked and warm and _hard_ , his slick velvet skin sliding along her own in a way that was so incredibly distracting as he suddenly used his grip on her ass to drag her up off the floor and into his arms. She didn’t even register the chill of the marble against her skin as he pressed her back against the wall, just curved her hands up over his shoulders to gain enough leverage to curl her legs up tightly around his waist.

She felt his hand fist into her curls and tug her head back as his lips opened against hers, a low, hungry growl building then rumbling up his throat. Her heart thudded in her chest where it pressed against his. Mindless desire was running riot through her body, her senses completely overwhelmed by the Were as she sought to somehow pull him closer still with all the limbs she had wrapped around him. Little whimpers were rapidly escaping her that she neither knew about nor cared about. She burned and ached and _wanted_ in ways that she’d never known possible as she writhed in his hold, needed him to fill the needy emptiness that was consuming her. She knew he could, if she could just figure out how to get him where she was desperate to feel him. To have him fill her up with all of his heat and strength, stretch her wide open till all she could feel was him inside of her. She rolled her hips under his hands in silent entreaty, pressing desperately against the thick, heavy length of him.

One hand left his shoulder to sink into the black satin of his hair, pulling his head back as some strange instinct had her sinking her teeth into the heavy muscle over his shoulder. Greedy and demanding as she savored the taste of his skin while his whole body bucked against her in response, a rough snarl breaking from him that made something inside her tremble with anticipation. The dark thing in him threatening to break loose and tear into her with all that passion and hunger boiling just under the surface. Waiting to eat her alive and she wanted to _let_ it and-

Freezing water suddenly gushed across her body, the shock of it bringing sanity rushing back with it.

“Too much,” Paul growled from between clenched teeth, canines once more lethally sharp and his heart thundering against her ribs as he stood under the bitter cold spray with Bella wrapped around his torso.

Goosebumps swiftly crawled across every exposed inch of her that wasn’t pressed against the male, because not even the cold water was a match for the heat he generated. But she didn’t dare attempt to get closer, to move at _all_ because she could practically taste the sexual tension that still gripped his body tight. Could feel the faint tremors that wracked him as he sought to pull himself under control.

She had no idea what the hell had happened. One moment she was in a full blown panic, the next she was crawling all over Paul like a horny little alley cat and hoping with everything in her that he’d snap and fuck her against the wall. The time in between was a blur and that scared her…that she could get so lost in him so very quickly. Could lose any and all inhibitions when offered full access to his absolutely breathtaking body.

Her mind whirled as she shivered in his arms. Because aside from what had just happened? _He_ had been the one to stop it all. He had kept it from spiraling completely out of hand. Had pulled enough self-control from who the hell knew where to keep from taking what she wasn’t yet ready to give no matter how much she had driven him to take it. To take _her._

And if she had ever had any uncertainty as to whether or not he was worthy of her trust? He had just proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was. Because while the cold water had served to reboot higher brain function, he was still so amazingly hard where he was pressed up against the front of her body, branding her with heat of him. Her hands itched with the need to touch and explore and familiarize herself with the alien shape of it, but even she knew just how unkind that would be.

She had already tested his restraint enough for one day, there was no need to push him closer to the breaking point.

She had no idea just how close he had just come…

Paul ground his teeth and a muscle flexed along his jaw as he slowly forced his clamoring body back under control. Attempted to drown out the screaming beast of want that clawed at his insides, drawing blood as it howled its rage inside his head. Trying to ignore the way her curvy little body wrapped around his, so trusting and so fucking soft against him.

He hadn’t meant to do it.

He’d only meant to divert her thoughts from the tailspin of panic and fear she had been rapidly sinking into. Distract her with something that felt good instead of letting her sink any deeper because he absolutely hated it when she fell apart. Hated how helpless he knew it made her feel, when he knew damned well just how tough Bella was. Hated it especially because he suspected that she hadn’t been prone to fits like this before that redheaded emo-bitch had pulled his mind games on her.

_If he ever ran into Edward Cullen, treaty or no treaty, he was going to break him into screaming pieces, light him on fire, then piss on that piece of shit’s glittering ashes._

So he’d kissed her. Used his body to further seduce her thoughts away from her worries and never thought twice about it because everything he was belonged to her anyway. If she wanted to stroke her warm little hands over every inch of him, who the fuck was he to argue? He had no problems with her exploring, wasn’t in the least bit shy.

_Want_ had tingled warningly just under the surface of his skin, but he’d forced it to heel because she apparently had more than enough to worry about without adding the snarling beast of his libido to the equation. And yeah, so his control was just a bit dicey this morning, but he’d held it together with less before when she needed it. Because _not_ ripping her clothing open and taking _everything_ while she had writhed in his lap yesterday morning had pushed him to the brink. He hadn’t been playing with her when he said that if he didn’t stop right then, that he wouldn’t be able to.

But the peace he had felt after she had let go? Like nothing he had ever imagined. The hunger had stopped it’s growling threats. Had stopped begging for him to hunt down prey, preferably something human that could scream, and rip open their throat to wallow in their blood. The never ending rage had quieted to a dull roar.

That right there was when he had made his mistake.

_The_ mistake.

Because in seeking to help her, he had reached for that peace in an effort to share it with her if he could. Strove to pull it forth and let it settle into him again so she might be able to more easily calm herself. He’d never attempted it before, wasn’t even sure if he could. But he would try anything to help her and so he had reached…and found himself drowning.

Lust and pure fiendish need had boiled through his senses like wildfire, ploughing through his already shaky control. Power churned, burning and unchecked, careened wildly as it raged and pulled him off mental balance. The low growl that had built in his throat had been full of the beast’s hunger. Greedy. Eager. And utterly remorseless. The thing he kept caged and chained was off its leash and prowling about freely in his head. Waiting with a predator’s endless patience for its prey to step into its clutches while it lured her on with touch and the promise of sex.

_Holy Jesus Fuck…_ he was so goddamned hungry he _ached_.

And all the while it whispered to him. Taunted him with the scent of her need. Promised an end to the pain if only he’d just fuck the sweet little thing in his arms silly like _both_ of them wanted him to. Even worse was the fact that it wasn’t lying to him…Bella _did_ want him. He could feel just how slick and hot she was along the underside of his cock when she tightened her legs around him. Her heart had thundered beneath the soft roundness of her breasts where they pressed against him. Her nails had raked his back in unconscious demand, further spurring the wild thing that crawled just under his skin. And all it would take was a little shift, a twist of those gorgeous hips he already had in his hands. Pull her down as he sank into her heat, savor the clamping of her muscles as she took him in for the very first time. Stretch her open wide and deep to hold him.

_So easy_ , it had purred, its voice dark and hypnotic…

_Too_ easy.

Sanity had suddenly gained a claw-hold in his mind and Paul reached for it with everything he had left. Slowly, far too slowly, it had dug in and gained traction in the whirling darkness of his thoughts. Control had battled through behind it, because no matter what was happening just then, no matter how frantically she urged him on, she had made it damned clear that she wasn’t ready. And so he had fought to pull himself out from under the influence of whatever the fuck it was that had broken loose. Because Bella didn’t deserve to have the demon of his own vicious desire take such a decision from her. _He_ wasn’t going to take that from her. He had no right.

He wasn’t going to lie…stopping had to have been one of the most painful things he had ever endured, and he’d been beaten almost religiously by his drunken whore of a mother from the day her husband had walked out till the day Paul had been old enough to make her think twice about it.

Control had slowly cooled the fire in his blood to manageable levels while sanity had set about reshackling the demon in the blackest pit of his mind that he could find. It had hissed and seethed with every new chain he’d bound it in, but his vision had begun clearing of the red haze and his hands had stopped shaking.

And then Bella had bitten him.

Christ, what a bitch of a way to discover that, yeah, he had fucking _loved_ when she did that to him, because every bit of hard won control had vanished in a blink. The noise that had ripped its way out of him didn’t even sound remotely human at that point. Even worse? He didn’t care. Didn’t care that he was bucking against Bella like some kind of animal in rut and seconds away from driving himself deep. Didn’t care that he was in her father’s house and Charlie could walk in any moment. Didn’t care that his thought processes were becoming darker and more predatory by the moment, because she was feeding the thing that was riding him with every stroke of her soft flesh against his, every moan that left her delicate throat. It had roared in his head, demanding that he sink his teeth in as well to mark that pale and vulnerable expanse and brand her as his.

Demanding that he slide down her body and _devour_ all the sweetness he could already taste in the air. The scent of her going straight to his head like an addict shooting up high grade heroin. Wanted to feel the flex of those beautiful thighs over his shoulders, Bella’s heels digging into his back and her small hands fisted into his hair in demand. Wanted her needy and willing and-

Willing.

She wasn’t willing. Just like he hadn’t been years ago when his own bitch of a mother had tried to-

White hot fury at the fucking thing that had tried to trick him into taking what she hadn’t freely offered had suddenly flared and cut through the noise in his head with brutal efficiency, bringing with it the desperate need to fight. Rage was an old companion and he had welcomed it for the clarity it brought. The control to reach out and cut off the flow of warm water so as to shock Bella back to awareness. The ability to spit out any words at all in explanation.

Battle readiness and sexual frustration, he discovered, was a hellish combination. The dual urges to fight and fuck with no foreseeable outlet made him want to pound his way through steel-reinforced concrete. With his bare hands. Adding in all that alien power still running rampant through him? A power that he both didn’t trust and had no idea how to dispel as it sparked and sizzled like he imagined electricity would feel if it were shooting through his veins? Paul was so hair-trigger that he was vaguely surprised he hadn’t gone nuclear.

His brows pulled together at that thought as it abruptly cut through the crazy in his head. Because that was not happening. Not with Bella in his arms and trusting him to keep her safe…even if it was from himself.

Gradually he became aware of fingers slowly stroking along the back of his neck. Soothing and gentle as she did her best to help bring him back to even keel, because his girl was smart as fuck and he suspected she had pretty much figured out that anything more wasn’t a good plan. Her cheek rested against his shoulder as she held herself as still as possible against him in spite of the shivers dancing across her skin, not even bothering to try to hide herself despite the embarrassment he could feel wafting off her because her nudity apparently didn’t matter to her if she thought he needed her.

Reaching out, he once more added warmth back into the spray pelting them, slowly so as to keep from burning her as she adjusted to the temperature. His heart began to settle into a more normal rhythm as he finally managed to wall off everything but calm inside his head. The hunger still burned, but whatever it was that had just happened had partially satiated it. He could still feel the sharpness of his teeth, however, something he still couldn’t explain but seemed to be occurring more and more often.

“Okay. So,” Bella began quietly, her voice as soft as the stroke of her fingers along his skin and touched with a surprising trace of humor. “ _You_. Are distracting as fuck.”

Paul felt a bark of surprised laughter escape. Because of all the things he might have expected from the girl who was still blushing wildly, the girl who _still_ couldn’t bring herself to look at him naked? Levity really wasn’t one of them. He felt her lips tilt up into a smile when she managed to break the tension and pressed his own to the side of her neck in silent thanks.

The power still thrummed, but there was no more threat to it and so he simply disregarded the strange sensation until he could find a way to purge it.

“My legs are beginning to cramp,” Bella finally said ruefully, lifting her head and turning to face him. Her cinnamon eyes met his…and then widened in what looked like astonishment. Her lips parted, but nothing came out as her brows winged high, legs apparently forgotten.

Paul lifted his own brow in question. “Bella?”

“Does…that hurt?” she asked, almost hesitantly. Her hand reached up slowly and she pressed her fingertips lightly to the slope of his cheekbone.

“Does what hurt?” Confused as fuck, the Were watched as Bella blindly scrabbled for something on the wall over his shoulder, then pulled Charlie’s shaving mirror off its hook and almost timidly lifted it to show him, eyes still huge in her heart-shaped face.

Paul felt himself recoil, because…

What.

_The._

**_FUCK_**?!

Jagged lighting flared and absolutely _roiled_ in a wild storm in his eyes. Eyes that widened in surprise of his own as the bolts of light flashed and danced in the still mask of his face. He turned his head slowly from side to side, watching the absolutely crazy/freakish/whatthefuck light show in the cold chill of his own eyes. His hand fisted tightly behind Bella’s back and the claws that had appeared only once before slowly dug into his palm with a sharp slash of pain. Blood welled….he could feel it…smell it as dripped over his fingers and hit the marble at his feet, proving that this wasn’t just some shitty dream as the deep cuts healed over again faster than he could ever remember them doing before.

“Paul?” His girl’s worried voice broke through the shock, bringing his gaze back to her own with a gentle but insistent hand cupped over his cheek.

“ _That’s_ new,” he offered with a wry twist of his lips, burying the accompanying anger that something was fucking with him while gently tugging her own lower lip free from where she had been gnawing on it once again.

“Are you…okay..? I mean-” She cut herself off, seemed to be reorganizing her thoughts before she tried again. “It doesn’t hurt?”

Such a sweet thing for making sure of his comfort first, before firing off any questions about what in the unholy _fuck_ was going on. He shook his head no. “Feels a bit strange. No pain.”

She swallowed, and Paul could smell her relief…hear it in the way the air shuddered out of her lungs. “Do you…is it…how are you…” Bella stammered uncertainly. Apparently not even sure _what_ to ask. He couldn’t really blame her, there.

But Bella was also not the type to ask a question if she feared it would offend. She knew why he tended to hide his eyes, though honestly it was more from a desire not to have to answer stupid ass questions by stupider people than it was any kind of discomfort over people staring at them. There was also the part that he had failed to mention even to Sam…that persistent eye contact from people who wished to prove to themselves or others that they could but still reeked of fear tended to trigger his own hard-wired desire to beat them down.

Bella was the only being, human or otherwise, to look him in the eyes without even a touch of unease. She was maybe stupidly brave. But she was honest with it. Anyone who tried to break that bravery of hers would have to come through him first. And he had it on good authority that he was an absolute fucking nightmare when crossed.

“I think,” he began quietly, absently twisting a curl of soft mahogany hair between his fingers as he spoke, “that at this point, we _both_ know that I’m something… _else.”_

Her brows drew together as she shrugged delicate shoulders, lips slowly tipping up at the corners in a gentle, encouraging smile. Accepting. And where he should have been beyond pissed to get such a look from _anyone_ , it wasn’t at all condescending from her. “Yeah. I sort of suspected.” She wrinkled her nose. Then blushed. “I mean. The other Wolves are handsome and all, but…you’re kinda too beautiful to be real,” she admitted shyly. “Let alone human.”

He also thought she was just plain out of shock to be had. Although to be fair, she had always been amazingly tolerant of the supernatural societies. That there might be more out there than just Vamps and Wolf Shifters really shouldn’t be such a huge surprise. He cocked his head to the side and glanced at her from under his lashes, a slow smile pulling the dimples into his cheeks. He didn’t know how she made him want to play with her, but he also really couldn’t bring himself to give a shit. “Beautiful, huh? Should I be offended?”

Bella snorted a cute little laugh. “Don’t know why you would be. Everyone wants to be beautiful once or twice in their lives.”

He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at her comment. “And you think you aren’t?”

She sighed, seemingly wistful but still smiling. “I know I’m pretty. I have no reason to complain about my looks, I know that, but it’s just that sometimes I wish I were beautiful like Leah or Alice or-”

“Bella.” He cut her off. Then he purposefully dropped his gaze down her body, lifting a brow as a slow and wicked grin crossed his face that made her blush a bright pretty red and abruptly remember just how naked she still was. “Merely pretty,” he growled, “does _not_ make me want get down on my knees and lick your-”

She clapped frantic hands over his mouth with a strangled little squeak, eyes huge despite the fact that he heard her heart give an excited little thump of interest. He was pretty sure his own eyes conveyed the smirk that he could feel curving his lips.

There was a sudden blaring of music in Bella’s bedroom as her phone sounded off to the tones of Monty Python’s Bring Out Your Dead skit. Charlie Swan was a diehard fan of the comedy group and so Bella had created the ring tone exclusively for her father. The little naked woman yelped and yanked her hands off his mouth to cover her gorgeous breasts as if fearing that her father could somehow see down the unanswered phone line. And through the walls too, it seemed. Thankfully, his reflexes were at the top of the spectrum for superhuman and he didn’t drop her on her equally-as-perfect ass, because her legs had apparently gone numb since the last time she had mentioned them.

Bella rushed through getting dried and then dressed, her hair dripping down the back of her shirt as she hurriedly scurried out into her room to call her father back. “Hey, Dad!” Bella’s voice was a bit too high pitched as she spoke into the phone. She coughed, attempting to settle it into a more normal tone. “No, I’m fine. Really! I was just in the shower when the phone rang, that’s all.”

Paul followed at a slower pace, toweling his hair dry as he walked calmly into the room behind her, perfectly at ease in his bare golden skin. Shaking his head at her wet hair, he silently prowled across the bed behind her before settling in with his long muscular thighs bracketing her own through the soft grey flannel, her back to his chest as he set about gently squeezing all the excess water out of her dark curls. And was quietly thankful that, despite everything that had just happened, she didn’t shy away from him.

She made stilted small talk with Charlie as he worked, hesitant and stuttering as she tended to be when nervous. While he waited for her to finish her call, he reached over to her bedside table and plucked his own phone off the top, checking for messages. There was the usual emails for schedules, both from Sam and Haven. The group texts as the other bouncers traded shifts back and forth. The usual spam shit that he deleted without opening.

It was then that he felt the strange energy buzzing through him recede and out of curiosity, he flicked on the camera and changed the angle of the lens as if he were going to take a selfie. And was honestly relieved to see that his eyes had gone back to normal. Well, normal for him at any rate. He wasn’t really all that fired up about talking to anyone except Bella about his suspicions around his questionable genetics. Besides, Paul suspected that Sam might just have a panic attack of his very own if the Alpha was confronted by anything else that proved just how alien Paul was.

Suddenly, Bella stopped stuttering as she went even stiffer than before with nerves.

Her free hand reached out and clutched at his thigh as if seeking courage from the contact and he covered it with his own, lacing their fingers together.

“Dad…I kinda need to tell you something.”

>}:{<

Charlie Swan was having a good time. Quietly. A bit nervously. Awkwardly, if he were to be brutally honest. But the good time was being had all the same.

He was sitting in a quiet little out of the way café with…well…apparently…his date.

The woman in question was watching him over the rim of her coffee cup, laughing grey eyes dancing merrily from under long dark lashes.

It was what had first drawn the quiet man to the newest addition to Forks PD, her sense of humor.

Samantha Briggs had brought a whole new level of warmth to the group with her kooky sense of humor and her keen wit.

She’d only been with Forks PD a few weeks now, and already Charlie found himself growing attached to the delightful woman. Found his mind filled with little details of her. Her wide, rosy lips curving into a cheerful grin as she gently teased one of her new co-workers. The freckles dusting her Irish rose complexion and the tiny dimple in her chin. The intelligence sparkling in her bright eyes.

_Charlie had always been particularly attracted to smart women…_

Didn’t hurt anything that she was beautiful as well. Tall and slim, she’d been a sprinter for her university’s track team and had kept herself in fighting trim ever since. Her thick strawberry blonde hair was currently coiled up behind her head in a neat chignon, though the day he had met her it had spilled in a smooth, shiny mass down her back to her narrow waist. It had taken exactly five minutes for his hands to begin itching to touch it as he’d sat behind his desk the day she had brought in her transfer papers.

That alone had shocked him, because while he had eyes and was just as able to spot a pretty woman as the next guy, he hadn’t felt the urge to actually _touch_ one in years. Not since a few months after Renée had split and ripped his whole world apart.

He supposed, looking back, that his reaction had been pretty typical…

The first few months he had spent in a numb kind of daze. He had woken up every day and functioned on autopilot. Kept the house clean and ready for when Renée returned and brought Bella back. Eaten meals that tasted like sawdust. Went to work to keep food in the pantry.

Three months went by before the divorce arrived and it finally sank in that his wife wasn’t coming back. Wasn’t bringing his baby girl back.

That was the first night he had drunk himself into a stupor as he raged about the empty house. Broken glass and shattered memories littered the floor in his wake as he destroyed everything he could get his hands on. Everything but Bella’s things, because he couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing even in that state. That was the first time the young man had ever missed a day of work, because the next morning he had been far too busy hugging the toilet bowl and puking his guts up to do more than call in sick.

That night had also marked the beginning of a trend, with Charlie attempting to find solace at the bottom of a bottle. Beer. Tequila. Whiskey. It had blurred, eventually, until the day that he’d woken in the bed of a woman he had never met before in a hotel room in Seattle. Naked and confused, he had sat on the side of the bed, room spinning in time with his stomach as he attempted to figure out what the hell had happened. No name came to mind as he carefully turned to look at the nude woman curled on her side under a sheet.

He remembered panicking more than once when he stumbled slowly about the room while gathering up his clothing, wanting nothing more than to escape before she woke. Thankfully, she’d apparently drunk as much as he had the night before, because she hadn’t so much as twitched. And he’d never seen her again.

The second woman he remembered a bit better. Remembered thinking that if Renée didn’t want him, he’d damned well find someone who _did_.

He hadn’t seen his friends in months by that point and didn’t care to, because he hated who he was becoming. Didn’t want to see the disgust in their eyes because he was a shell of his former self. So he began avoiding their phone calls…avoiding any phone calls at all, because his superiors had also begun questioning his behavior. Oh, he’d never been stupid enough to drink on the job or show up wasted, but he was quieter than ever, pale and sickly looking.

Then it had begun to blur again. The warm bodies of faceless women and more liquor to blunt the self-loathing and the fierce hatred he had begun to harbor towards the woman he had married. The woman who had arbitrarily decided that she didn’t like living in little Forks, Washington and had packed up her life along with their daughter and left while he was at work. As if it were easy to leave him and take his only child away from him in the process.

He was sitting in a dark corner of a shitty dive bar, contemplating the mess that was his life, when a voice had called out across the din. It had taken a few seconds for the syllables to coalesce inside his brain as his name and he had blinked blearily in the direction they had come from. His vision had been blurry, not helped at all by the smoke and low lighting.

“Charlie?”

The voice came again, finally sounding familiar and he had smiled drunkenly as Harry Clearwater’s horrified face swam into view.

“Jesus…” Billy Black had said quietly, stepping around his shocked companion to get a look at what the other man found so appalling.

Charlie didn’t have a clear recollection of what got said after that, but he very plainly remembered the two big men dragging his drunk and protesting ass out the door before being tossed into the bed of Billy’s truck. It had proved to be a good thing that he was as wasted as he was, because he had been too dizzy to attempt an escape as the two all but kidnapped him back to the reservation.

He remembered Sue’s stunned face as he was dumped in the snow at her feet, before it had crumpled into concern. Remembered the softness of her voice as she ordered Harry into the house to make up the spare bed. Would never forget just how cold the water had been as Billy dragged him over to the rain barrel before grabbing his friend by the hair and forcibly dunking the taller man’s head in.

He hadn’t been entirely sober after that, but he’d been a great deal closer as Billy quietly informed him that that shit was done. He was Charlie’s friend, even if Charlie was too drunk to remember that. There had been no anger, just quiet determination and Charlie had been too drained to fight him.

Thankfully, Charlie had had two days off to sober up after that. Two days of being sick because he’d damned near killed himself with alcohol poisoning.

Sue and Sarah had quietly driven to Charlie’s house while he recuperated and cleaned up the mess that had been made and packed a few bags after they decided that he was incapable of caring for himself. He clearly needed help, but they feared that his superiors wouldn’t turn a kind eye to his alcohol abuse due to his recent unpredictable behavior. And being recently divorced and paying child support, he could not afford to go into a program.

So the four of them had banded together to drag the hurting and devastated man back from the brink of self-destruction. Sue had stood firm and insisted that he at least find a good therapist, because it was unhealthy to live with so much hate in his heart. And when Charlie had relapsed, they never got mad. They simply repeated the process, until six months had passed and Charlie was back to an occasional beer or two…and he hadn’t touched a woman since.

Now he found himself utterly fascinated by this woman before him and she made no attempt to conceal her attraction to him in return. But she wasn’t pushy about it, either.

“Didn’t you say that you needed to call your daughter,” she gently reminded him as she placed her coffee cup into its saucer with a soft clink.

Charlie blinked, then checked his watch. “Yeah. Sorry. I haven’t seen much of her the last couple of days,” he explained apologetically as he scooted his chair back and got to his feet.

She just grinned and waved him on. “No sorry needed. I’ll still be here when you get back.”

Charlie stepped around the tables and out the door to make his call. He was a little surprised when she didn’t answer, having figured it was late enough that she would be awake. Shrugging to himself, he was walking towards the door when his phone rang in his hand.

“Hey, Bells,” he answered, smiling even though she couldn’t see it.

“Hey, Dad!” Her voice was high and a bit breathless as if she had been running.

“You okay, kid?”

She cleared her throat. “No, I’m fine. Really! I was just in the shower when the phone rang, that’s all.”

And just like that, red flags waved, because despite her attempts to speak in a normal tone, she was clearly nervous. So he let her ramble about the last few days and what she intended to make for dinner that night. About school on Monday and could Charlie pick up a few things from the grocery store on his way home that evening.

He could imagine her winding her fingers through her clothing as she babbled. But that was just her way. She talked herself in circles around her real issues and hoped like hell no one noticed what she had skipped over. Maybe it was unconsciously done, but she had been this way since she was little. Her very own Bella-version of the Jedi mind trick…something like ‘this is not the topic you are looking for’.

But he could also tell that she was working herself up further and cut in. “Alright, Bella. Out with it.”

She went quiet. And for a moment he was afraid that she was going to continue to pretend there was nothing bothering her.

But then she took a deep breath as if gathering her courage to continue. “Dad…I kinda need to tell you something.”

Charlie felt a wave of relief because she was opening up and allowing him in. He crossed his legs at the ankle and leaned back against the wall. “You know you can tell me anything. Even if I get angry, you’re always gonna be my kid.”

“So. Paul…and I…” She stopped for a long moment. And in his mind’s eye, he could see the girl straightening her spine as she forced herself to soldier on. “We’re…well…kinda…together. Like…going to go on a date…sometime…together.”

Charlie shook his head in amusement. “Honey. You’ve been dating since long before you apparently decided to be official.”

Months ago, he might have been upset by it. But Charlie had learned a few things about Paul. That he was completely and utterly trustworthy where Bella was concerned had been settled long ago. He didn’t even seem to get angry all that often around her. Yeah, Sam had told him all about the Were’s fight with Jared’s little brother, including what had kick-started the confrontation in the first place. Charlie was enough of a pragmatist that he didn’t get bent about it. If the brat was going to target _his_ kid _,_ then a little pain to correct him wouldn’t go amiss.

The part that most heartened him, however, was the fact that despite just how strong Paul might actually be (and he had no illusions about the fact that he likely hadn’t even seen a fraction of it) Bella never seemed to worry that he might hurt her. He never told her what to do. Never made her think that she was less than he was because she was human. Never tried in any way that Charlie had seen to corral her thoughts, wishes, and dreams in a direction that he desired and she did not. Bella smiled wider and was more free with her affection since the Were had stepped into her life, providing a stability that no one had known she was lacking.

Sure, he’d been afraid that the young man would twist Bella’s affections into a knot that she could never unravel while being incapable of returning them. It was a good long while before he changed his mind, too. Paul may very well have been borderline sociopathic, but Bella was the one thing that he seemed able to care for. She was like the eye to his hurricane. A tiny bit of peace hidden amongst all of that destructive rage and carefully guarded by it on all sides.

Now, after dropping what Charlie suspected was a rather significant bombshell on Bella, he could practically hear her jaw unhinging over the phone line. There was a quiet sputtering as his daughter attempted to process the fact that not only was he _not_ upset by her news, but he was actually pretty okay with the idea. Bella was far happier and more centered with the Were around. Yeah, he didn’t like the thought of Paul touching his baby in any way more than strictly friendly, but at this point it had less to do with Paul himself and more to do with the fact that Bella was his little girl.

Of course, he was also man enough to admit that a tiny part of his acceptance was a smokescreen for that secret little desire to have a front row seat in the event that Edward Cullen ever came back with his high-handed morally superior brand of romance and tried to get around Bella’s boyfriend. The sneaky little shit would soon find himself in way over his mindreading head. He, himself, may not have been able to give a suitably threatening shovel speech to the Vampire, but he was happy to have his revenge for Bella’s treatment in any way that he could get it. Even vicariously. And he had no doubts at all that Paul was more than capable of putting the fear of God into Cullen. Because while Charlie had no way of knowing just how closely his suspicions mirrored some of the others, even he was beginning to doubt that Paul was really all that human.

“Dad…? You’re really okay with…” The girl’s voice was hesitant, still a bit off-kilter.

Charlie chucked. “Yeah, Bells. I’m good with it. He makes you happy. And not that manic, secretive, self-destructive craziness that you had with that…with Cullen. Paul has _always_ done right by you, kid. And he’s done right by me, too, as your father.”

There was more silence as Bella seemed to be digesting his words. But the tension that he had felt coming across the line was fading. He really hoped that she hadn’t worried herself into a tizzy over this, but knowing Bella, it was more than likely that she had. The stuff he had found online said that the panic attacks were a pretty typical response to PTSD and Bella showed classic symptoms. The sites he had read through said that they would probably taper off on their own, but being able to confront Cullen would also probably do her a lot of good.

_Yeah, **that** was happening. Over his dead body…_

“Thanks, Daddy.” Her voice was so soft, he almost missed it. “It’s…new…so I wasn’t hiding it. I promise. I had really just wanted to tell you face to face, but then when I told Sam, he kinda blew a gasket. Said I shouldn’t hide things from you.”

“I trust you, Bella.”

There was a quiet sigh of relief. “Good. I don’t ever want to screw that up again. Not like before.”

Bella rarely alluded to that whole mess when Cullen had snatched her up and taken off with her. The lie she had told when trying to protect him. But what had hurt even more than the falsehood was seeing her looking so small and broken in the hospital bed afterwards and knowing he hadn’t protected her. Fallen down the stairs his ass. Bella was clumsy, but _that_ was the stupidest damned thing he had heard in his whole life, and he had drunks constantly telling him whoppers when he picked them up on drunk-and-disorderlies. “Just keep being open with me and we won’t ever have a problem.”

“Deal. So,” she continued, “In the interest of openness. I need a favor.”

Charlie snorted, but allowed the subject change. “What can I do for you?”

“Can you pick up a few things at the store for dinner tomorrow?” she said, repeating her request from before. “I haven’t seen Billy in a while and wanted to have him over for dinner if that’s alright?”

“I’m sure he’d love to come,” he assured her. In fact, Billy had been asking about Bella lately. He had missed the girl, having grown used to seeing her face nearly every day.

“Good!” she said, then proceeded to give him a list of things to buy. Charlie dutifully jotted them all down on the back of a receipt, mouth already watering because the things she needed could only add up to something delicious. “Let’s see…That _should_ do it. Oh! And shredded coconut! I should have enough time to make lemon bars while I’m studying tomorrow.”

There was a strange little chime, then Bella’s voice seemed to come from farther away as she apparently checked her phone’s calendar. “What is…oh yeah! Forgot that I need to call the clinic and make an appointment for the gynecologist. Birth control,” she muttered absentmindedly.

Charlie sputtered. Yeah, he’d suspected that needing it was likely to happen and while he was glad that Bella was thinking ahead and protecting herself, the rest of him didn’t even want to _think_ about his little girl having sex.

“Hey Dad?” Bella’s voice sounded clear again as she put the phone back to her ear. “I forgot to tell you. Paul’s boss, Haven, wanted to give you a call. He said he wants to hire me for next summer! Isn’t that awesome? Can I give him your number so he can talk to you himself?”

He must have managed a vaguely acceptable answer because the next thing he knew, she was happily babbling about working with fun people and having such a cool boss. He was still trying to make his brain come back from denial-land when Bella suddenly blurted something about Angela calling, then said that she loved him and called out a quick goodbye before hanging up.

Charlie blinked a couple of times before he realized that he should probably put his phone away. Then he huffed out a steadying breath before turning and stepping back into the café.

>}:{<

Samantha was just beginning to wonder what had happened to her date when Charlie finally rounded the corner and walked up the isle back towards their table.

His dark brows were pulled together as if he were deep in thought, his movements slow and clearly distracted.

She took a moment to enjoy a quick and thorough once over of the handsome man as he stepped closer, because Charlie Swan definitely deserved a glance or three. Tall, well built, and surprisingly graceful for his size, the Chief of Police was _very_ easy on the eyes. He may have been a quieter man; he was laid-back and easy to get along with and absolutely no ego to speak of…a wonderful combination to find in a boss.

She remembered being utterly shocked when she had walked into his office with her transfer papers in hand, because she had been expecting an older, far more homely man. Her previous boss had been a short, cheerful man with a receding hairline and an ever-ready smile. He had met the Forks PD Chief more than once and had described him as a steady, hardworking man who inspired the best in his officers. Charlie Swan had requested replacement for a paternity leave and later to take over the position of a retiring veteran.

Samantha had been looking forward to working in a small town for a while after working in Seattle for a handful of years. Especially since things had begun to get…weird…there in the last few weeks. People being exsanguinated or straight up disappearing. Some people who had been utterly normal folks suddenly going completely and inexplicably insane. And there had been other things. Things she could not explain. Things on the periphery, disappearing into the shadows as soon as she caught sight of them. Things that she did not want to see. To believe in. Because if she did, then she might be just as batshit crazy as the young men and women flooding the mental wards of the hospitals, ranting about the ‘shining ones’. Google had provided no insights, and her supervisors and most of her fellow cops had written it off to a drug addled cult of whackos.

Just the thought of escaping all that craziness was a relief in itself. To escape to a place full of natural beauty, mountains, forests and lakes. She might have been born in Hollywood but she as a small town girl at heart. She wanted a small place with a fireplace that she could curl up in front of with a good book and a cup of coco, her Maine Coon cat Bam in her lap. A town where things were predictable and just about everyone knew everyone else.

So she had packed up her cramped apartment and hired movers. Bought herself a small, cozy house with the coveted fireplace and was absolutely delighted by the old fashioned clawfoot tub in the upstairs bathroom. Then she had taken the weekend to acclimate herself to her new surroundings, because her old Chief had told her that Charlie Swan would be available to finalize the transfer on the next Monday.

She had been dressed neatly but comfortably as she walked into the small precinct, her hair comfortably down for a change. She’d smiled and nodded to everyone as she’d passed by and had gotten nothing but welcoming smiles in return. There was none of the suspicion of strangers and the vaguely distant nature of cops in bigger cities. It had been promising. Then she’d reached the door of The Man himself, knocking quietly before a deep, pleasant voice had answered and invited her in.

She’d just barely stopped herself from gawking. Dark eyes had met hers with a questioning smile, before he caught sight of the papers in her hand and had stood politely to gesture her towards one of the chairs in front of his desk. She was proud of the fact that she managed to conduct herself like a professional during the ensuing interview.

And during that time, she had done her best to observe the man. He listened when you spoke to him and made eye contact. Contact that never slipped below her face despite her gender, further drawing her to him. He was professional and courteous in his questions as he felt out her reasons for accepting the transfer. And was seemingly unaware of just how good looking he was.

It had taken her almost a week after the transfer to screw up enough courage to start asking around about her new supervisor’s personal life. Yes, he was single, and had been for so long that there was no worry of angry or jealous ex-girlfriends. He had a daughter that he loved dearly who lived with him and from what everyone said, he was a wonderful father. He was good at his job, never asking more of his people than he gave himself. Smart and driven enough to have become chief at a relatively young age, but also apparently content with where he was in life. Stable, both mentally and emotionally.

All in all, he was pretty much perfect for her. _So_ perfect, in fact, that she tossed her little rule of never dating a co-worker out the nearest window. That it was worse because he was her boss, she absolutely refused to acknowledge. She really couldn’t keep herself from stop flirting with the man, especially when it made him blush and smile sheepishly. Like he wasn’t used to that kind of attention.

Mind blowing.

So she asked him out. She could see him trying to figure out a polite way to get out of it, too. But she got the sense it had more to do with him trying to maintain propriety than not being attracted to her. So she promised to never ask him for anything at work that was not work related. And imagine her surprise when the man’s own daughter, a girl she had yet to meet no less, had insisted that he accept despite his misgivings. She would have to give the girl a hug when she finally got to meet her.

Now, watching as he lowered himself into his chair, she wondered what had happened to unsettle him so much. From what she had seen of him, he wasn’t given to brooding so this was new. She continued to study his curious behavior as he looked at his coffee cup, blinking every once in a while. Then he picked it up with a sigh and gulped the contents in one long go.

“Charlie…?”

“Birth Control,” he muttered.

_Wha…._

Samantha lifted a single brow in surprise, her eyes widening. “Isn’t it a bit soon to be having that conversation?”

Charlie suddenly snapped out of whatever was bugging him and blushed. “I am so sorry! I know how that sounded…I was just on the phone with Bella and she said something about needing it. Kinda caught me off guard.”

She smothered a chuckle, because the man was especially cute when he was flustered. She imagined nothing could be worse for a father than being confronted by the fact that their daughter was growing up into a sexually mature adult. Her own father had tried to deny it until the day she had turned twenty-five.

“Bella…well, she’s decided to start dating her best friend.” His mouth curved into a wry smile.

Samantha pursed her lips and tipped her head to the side consideringly as she took in the man’s body language. “What’s the boy like?”

She’d heard all about Bella from the girl’s proud papa. Smart. Kind. Stubborn. A wonderful cook, a fact that was corroborated by nearly everyone in the precinct because Bella liked sending home cooked meals in for Charlie’s people. Beautiful, something that Samantha had observed on her own after seeing the pictures Charlie kept in his office. She loved her family, both blood and adopted. But this was the first she had heard of the friend.

She was just a little unnerved by the searching gaze Charlie turned on her after her question. She could see him weighing his words carefully, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Then apparently coming to a decision, he sat up and leaned towards her. “The first thing you need to know about Paul…he may only _be_ twenty years old, but he’s no ‘boy’. Hasn’t been in years. Didn’t have a good childhood and grew up way too damned fast.”

He reached out and took a sip of the coffee the server had refilled.

“The second thing you will need to know about Paul is that he has absolutely no respect for the badge, just one of the people wearing it. I don’t doubt that you will eventually meet him, or I wouldn’t be telling you any of this. He and Bella are very tightly connected and I would love it if you and my kid could be friends. That won’t happen if Bella feels you are treating him unfairly in any way. She is very protective of him.” Charlie paused and took a slow breath. “That being said, Paul is probably the most naturally intimidating man I have ever met. He doesn’t even have to try. He can goad otherwise sane people to violence with nothing but a smile. I’ve seen cops who have been on the force for more than twenty years get rattled just being in the same room with him. Thankfully we haven’t had to take him in in quite a while now, and from what I can figure, Bella has had a calming effect on him.”

Samantha blinked. That did _not_ sound like someone who would be a good fit for a relationship with a teenage girl. Especially one as smart and kind as she had heard Bella to be. And she couldn’t imagine why Charlie would allow someone as questionably dangerous as this young man sounded around his kid. It couldn’t simply be pity for the guy’s regrettable upbringing. The man sitting in front of her was far from stupid, and the information did not compute.

Charlie seemed to be debating with himself over whether or not to continue, his dark eyes faintly narrowed on the spoon he was absently fiddling with between his long fingers. Then he sighed, giving a small shake of his head. “Third thing. And this is the most important. I know what you are trained to do in situations that look dangerous. Guns save officers lives in certain situations. That’s fine. It’s good. I would never want anything to happen to you or anyone else who works under me. However. Those same veteran cops I told you about? Some of them decided that they needed to get some of their own back in front of their co-workers. Tried to use textbook intimidation tactics and psychological manipulation to interrogate someone who, quite frankly, can’t _be_ intimidated or broken. One got frustrated enough at failing to break him that he pulled _his_ gun. Paul laughed at him. Right before he took the gun from him.”

Samantha gasped, one hand over her mouth. “But that is _way_ above and beyond the abuse of authority, even before you add in pulling a gun! In interrogation?! And the cameras in the room! Did he actually think he was going to get away with pulling a gun on an unarmed civilian?” Then another thought occurred, and she hesitated. “Did Paul…?”

Charlie shook his head. “No. We got in there fast enough to derail anything that might have happened. Paul handed the gun over to me without even threatening to use it, calm as you please. Sat back down in the chair without being asked and waited quietly while we read an eighteen year veteran of the force his rights for threatening someone who, we later discovered, wasn’t even a suspect for the crime he was being accused of. A man who I was later forced to fire because he couldn’t let go of his vendetta against a young man who isn’t especially well known for his patience.”

The cop in her couldn’t help but catalog and store all the information for later use. The professional peacekeeper began calculating her own chances against this kid if she ever had to take him down. In such a small town, it was inevitable that she would encounter him, even if things with Charlie didn’t work out. Samantha was tall for a woman at five foot ten and worked out to keep herself strong. Practiced Aikido to sharpen her skills and had exceptional marks from her combat instructor, so she was probably able to take the young man by surprise if need be. Part of her wondering how fast she could pull her own gun on him if it were ever called for. There was also the urge to go through his files to get a better mental view of him and what made him tick because for all that Charlie had shared, she could tell there was a great deal more that he hadn’t.

But.

It would be entirely unethical. You did not go through the records of someone who wasn’t even a suspect for a crime on a whim. Did not dig into their past without a legitimate reason. Charlie had already said that he hadn’t been pulled into the precinct in months so she had absolutely no reason to pry into his records.

However, just because she couldn’t go through his police files, there was nothing that said she couldn’t keep tentative tabs on him. Wanting to put a face to the name of Bella’s hellion boyfriend, Samantha smiled at Charlie. “Got a picture of them?”

Charlie lifted a brow and she knew that he’d seen right through the request for what it was. But he simply shook his head and reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. Scrolling through what looked like quite a collection of photos, he finally settled on one and pulled it up before passing the phone across the table.

She wasn’t really sure what she had been expecting. Maybe a reasonably good-looking kid with a sneer of challenge permanently plastered across his face. Bella was a gorgeous young woman, so it stood to reason that Paul would at the very least be attractive, even if it was in that stereotypical bad boy way that some young women were unfortunately drawn to.

Charlie’s unexpectedly short daughter was sitting on the broad shoulder of what had to be one of the tallest human beings Samantha had ever seen. She was grinning wildly as she held what looked like a pie high over her own head, apparently attempting to keep it out of the hands of another surprisingly tall man who had a playful pout on his handsome face. A third male who looked like the second man’s doppelganger was bent over, laughing as he pointed at the other three.  

Samantha couldn’t help but smile at the picture, because there seemed to be so much happiness in the group. Focusing on the man holding Bella, she enlarged the shot to get a better look at him, only to be disappointed by the way his blacker-than-black hair had slid forward and managed to obscure his face. But the rest of him? _Jesus_ …He didn’t lack for muscle _anywhere_. Without Charlie’s input on his age, physically she would have pegged him closer to late twenties with _years_ of dedicated bodybuilding to have achieved the kind of definition on display. He also looked like he was having absolutely no problems balancing another human being on his shoulder, no accommodation in his stance to counter her weight. Balanced easily as if she weighed nothing at all, a big hand curled around her outer thigh to keep her from tumbling down.

Curious, she scrolled to the next photo. Bella and someone she assumed to be Paul, but this time giving her the view of his face that the previous picture had failed to. It was a closer shot of the pair, the girl curled tightly in heavy-muscled arms and held high against his upper chest, her own arms thrown about his neck. Sunlight highlighted the pair as they seemingly took a moment to just be with each other. Bella’s eyes were closed, freckles dusting her sun-kissed cheekbones and lips smiling even as she pressed them to the man’s forehead. Paul’s hair was pulled back by a pair of silver sunglasses atop his head and holy _Christ_ he was handsome…Almost _frighteningly_ handsome, if that was actually a thing. His eyes were also closed, long dark lashes brushing down against the slope of his cheekbones. His lips were parted in an easy grin, white teeth flashing in the golden tan of his face. Dimples pulled at his cheeks as if he were chuckling at the girl’s affectionate action.

But something made her flip back to the first photo. Some sense that warned her that, despite how casual he looked, he was somehow dangerous. Samantha had learned long ago to listen to her instincts, even if they screamed that something was off that she couldn’t see. “He’s big,” she said quietly, thoughtfully. _So_ big, in fact, that it forced her to rethink her usual takedown methods because all that height probably came with substantial weight, and so simply having speed and the element of surprise wouldn’t necessarily guarantee she could take him off his feet. She’d probably have to go for the kneecaps and hope she didn’t misjudge and cause permanent damage. Outwardly, she handed him back his phone, watching as he pocketed it. “You said you used to have to take him in frequently. Can I ask what for?”

“Fighting. And he is _very_ good at it.”

Samantha’s eyes jerked towards Charlie’s at the clear warning underlying his tone. It came so close on the heels of her thoughts about containing the kid that she actually wondered if she had spoken them aloud. But her boss had already proven that he was a keen observer, so maybe her thoughts had somehow broadcasted themselves on her face. She would have to make certain that she worked on her game-face…didn’t like the thought that she might be that transparent. Slowly, anger also began to smolder. Did he actually think that she couldn’t take care of herself? Was this some sort of latent sexist bullshit…protect the fragile woman? Yeah, the young man was tall and muscular, but she was a goddamned cop with years of experience behind her!

Then reason kicked in…because that conclusion didn’t mesh with anything that she had ever heard about the Police Chief. And she knew very well that he had gotten a kick out of watching her take down some of the larger guys in his precinct. So he was well aware that she was no creampuff.

Logic finally broke through and pointed a finger towards a possibility that she hadn’t really considered at any point since Charlie had begun the conversation…That the young man dating her boss’s daughter might be more than just a handful. That he may be more than just a pretty face with a mean streak and a penchant for scrapping. Her earlier impression of him as something dangerous waved a flag in reminder and she forced the last of her irritation away. Because how could she honestly be mad at someone who was doing his job by arming her with information that she might need to keep herself safe? That maybe his caution had nothing to do with her gender, at all. That he had taken into his consideration that she was _very_ capable and still felt the need to warn her off.

_Just who was this kid?_

But Charlie had apparently said his piece, far more than she was used to from the typically quiet man. So she dipped her head in a slow nod, acknowledging the warning. “You’re loud and clear, boss.”

She saw the tension in his shoulders relax a bit and he nodded back. “Good.

Just then, the server rounded the corner and placed the bill on the table with a friendly smile. Feeling the need to return them to a more lighthearted place, Samantha grinned and hurriedly snatched it up before her date could get his hand on it. She could see Charlie’s mouth begin to open in protest but she cut him off by waving a hand in front of his face. “I asked _you_ out. I pay for the date.”

His dark eyes narrowed consideringly, before a slow smile crossed his face. “Deal. But the next date is mine.”                                                                                                                                              

There was a quiet ringing, like that of an old fashioned rotary phone and Charlie fumbled his phone back out of his pocket. “Hello?”

Then exasperation curled his mouth, his brows pulling together faintly. “Got it. On our way.”

Samantha tilted her head curiously as she stacked a few bills on the ticket. Charlie stood up with a snort of amused irritation and shrugged into his jacket. “Apparently old man Blake decided to renew his old feud with the Riley’s over the property lines. He started yanking up fence posts and the horses got lose. Aiden Riley tried, politely, to go retrieve them, and Blake pulled out his old shotgun and said that the horses were now his since they were on his property. So the kid called it in.”

Samantha couldn’t help the snicker that escaped her as she followed him out the door to the cruiser. “Oh dear God, things like that still happen?”

Charlie grinned as he lowered himself into the driver’s seat. “Thomas Blake is an overly-opinionated eighty year old man. That gun of his doesn’t even work half the time. I’m be more afraid that he’d shoot _himself_ with it.”

She laughed outright, then. All thoughts of needing to prove herself to the man beside her were forgotten for the moment. And as they pulled out into traffic on their way to once more settle the argument between the Forks version of the Hatfields and McCoys, Samantha Briggs found herself gladder than ever that she had accepted the transfer to this tiny Washington town.

>{:}<

 


	29. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life - Monty Python

“I still wish I’d thought to get a picture,” Bella lamented. “There were dozens of the little guys all following Paul about like tiny furry soldiers. He finally just sat down because we were afraid he’d accidentally step on one. This little French bulldog actually climbed up into his lap and then started snoring. The rest of them either curled up near him or took up posts and guarded him from the dreaded puppy handler.”

Billy guffawed as Charlie snorted, grinning as he helped Bella stack dishes to clear the table.

When Bella had called last night to invite him over for dinner, he had been thrilled to hear from the girl. It had been a few weeks since he had seen her in more than passing. She always had a smile and a hug for him, but she seemed to be trying to not usurp his time from his son. And he supposed he could see her reasoning, because it had been her decision, but he had missed her. She was like family, dear to him as any of his own children.

Sure, he had held hopes for a time after the Cullens had bailed that she might become more than a child of his heart, but his hopes had been just as dashed as his son’s when it had come to light that there had never been an Alpha Protector who had failed to Imprint. He had had dreams of holding his grandbabies on his front porch, Charlie arguing with him about when it was his turn to hold them because they would be his grandbabies as well. Quil Sr. had put an end to that with his stories these last few months.

But before that knowledge had been brought to their attention, Jacob had apparently been doing a bang-up job obliterating that relationship all on his own. He had reacted badly to her friendship with another male who, unfortunately, his inner Wolf saw as a rival. A young man that Billy had never thought would allow any sort of relationship at all with the girl who had run with Vampires.

It had never even occurred to him that Paul would be the one to come between his son and Charlie’s daughter.

Growing up, the kid had been troubled. He’d never been inclined to let anyone near him, his eyes having grown cold and distrustful even as a small child. Many had tried on numerous occasions to ascertain the welfare of the boy because it had been clear even then that he was being abused, though no one had any idea to what extent. But every attempt had been rebuffed with silence. He had refused to be touched, offering violence when anyone had gotten too close. And even then he had been strong and big for his age. Feral. His mother would rant at them in the background, drunk and shrill in her threats to have them arrested for trespassing.

And such a shame there as well, because Layla had been such a promising young woman. So smart she had qualified as gifted and was kind to everyone she came across. She had married her high school sweetheart and seemed set to take on the world for the betterment of her tribe. Beautiful and completely in love with her husband who was content to bask in her glow as he supported her. The bright and shining star of her family.

One weekend Layla had driven out to Seattle with a group of young woman from her class to celebrate a successful semester at the local college…and hadn’t come back. Gabriel, her husband, hadn’t known she had gone missing until Sunday when she was to have returned. When they had questioned her friends about when the others had last seen her, the best they could remember was at a bar on Saturday night. She had apparently met a man, and all they could say of him was that he had been tall and incredibly handsome. Arresting. Long dark hair and a foreign accent.

People from the tribe searched for her alongside the police when they were contacted. Followed every lead they could think of and any trail they discovered. No sign had turned up and everyone had feared for the worst. That she would be one more girl found dead in some back alley.

Then nearly one week later a call had come in on a young woman found in a ritzy hotel. She was catatonic and covered in bruises the shape of large hands. The maid had entered the room and found her after being told that the occupant had checked out earlier that morning. She’d nearly fainted herself when she had laid eyes on Layla, who lay so still under the sheet tossed over her nude body.

Her husband and her older brother Benjamin had rushed to the hospital, where they had been ushered into the room that held Layla. Pale despite the natural hue of her skin, she had been awake but delirious as she mumbled about things that made no sense. The doctors said that her drug panel had come up clean, no alcohol found in her system, so they couldn’t make sense of her delirium. But there had been more than just small traces of semen when they had run a rape kit. A kit that had soon disappeared just after the technician claimed there was something strange about the sample.

Gabriel had been utterly crushed.

It was another week before she was deemed stable enough to be released from the hospital.

She’d been quiet at first, detached from her husband and family. Then she had begun drinking. Left home one night nearly a month later and had driven back to Seattle before once more being found in some man’s bed. Then again to the hospital though thankfully that time there were no bruises and she was aware enough to be angry when she was finally released into her family’s custody. But this the tests turned up that she was pregnant…a month gone.

Gabriel didn’t know whether or not to be excited or terrified, and he had kept a sharp eye on his wife. The whole tribe had, because no one wanted to see her hurt the baby. They kept her distracted from the drinking until she gave birth...to a baby with blue eyes. Gabriel had been destroyed once more. Bitterness set in quickly, especially as no more than two months had passed since Paul had arrived before it all began again. His wife disappeared, drank herself into a stupor and slept with a pair of men who had simply passed her between themselves for days. Then she had appeared late on a Thursday evening in the front door smelling of booze and sex. Her voice had been uneven as she proceeded to tell the horrified young man all about it. Benjamin had been in the nursery upstairs and had heard every word.

Months stretched into years, and then came the day that Gabriel had enough and left in the middle of the night while Mercy Cameron watched Paul, who even at two years old was quiet and mistrustful. Several years passed as Paul grew more and more remote. Blind eyes were turned when he would steal food, because his mother had once more left him and simply forgot to leave anything. Then had come the fighting and Billy had suspected that it was simply a reflection of what he suffered at the hands of his mother. Billy remembered the day that he had been standing in the road after leaving the café and watched Layla drunkenly berating a young man. It had actually taken him a few moments to place him as Paul, because the young man was nearly six feet tall at twelve years old. Handsome and cold. Already starting to bulk with muscle. She had finally screamed and lifted her hand to slap the silent male, when Paul’s own hand had flashed up and caught her by the wrist. He didn’t say a word, but he had apparently squeezed the captured limb hard enough that she had turned ashen and cried out as she tried to pull herself free.

Billy had taken a step towards them with the thought to intervene, and Paul’s head had whipped around as if he had _heard_ him move. Shouldn’t have been able to, because he was that far away. Billy had been stunned to stillness by those chill blue eyes, heartless and frighteningly inhuman. That was when he knew without a doubt that the tribe had done wrong by Paul Lahote. Hadn’t pushed hard enough. He’d slipped through the cracks and would never be recovered.

He was mostly quiet in school, and thankfully many of the kids did their best to stay away from him. He was even smarter than his mother according to his teachers. When he’d been tested, it was discovered that he had a frighteningly high IQ and for everyone’s peace of mind, he’d tested out of high school at just shy of sixteen. Ironically on very same day his mother had taken off for parts unknown. Unfortunately that had left the teen at loose ends…he’d continued to grow and at that age he’d been six foot five and looked nothing like his age. He drank and fought with increasing violence, so angry that it almost hurt to be near him.

Then the Cullens had reappeared and Billy had been utterly horrified when the young man had begun showing signs of Phasing at nineteen. Sam had already Phased, strangely enough, because the Blacks had been providing Alpha Wolves since the history of the Protectors had begun. But there were other strange things happening, because while it was expected that Jared Cameron would Phase due to his lineage, Paul was not. Yet that meant nothing because Paul was once more shooting up in height and putting on muscle mass. Sam had quietly admitted to him that he was afraid of what the young man was capable of, because there was seemingly no physical limits where the new Wolf was concerned and no limits to his capacity for cruelty. More anger, more fighting, though by then he had met Haven who had a settling effect on him, thanks to every god in the heavens. The elders had made noises about restricting him to the reservation as was traditional soon after he had gotten control of himself, but Sam had simply said that Paul would not bother to go around them. He’d go _through_ them if they got in his way.

By then, Bella had had her disastrous encounter with the Cold Ones and was broken. Shattered. And once more strange shit happened because Sam bonded to the girl and stubbornly refused to back down. He’d held that girl together with a love that refused to give in and let her flounder. Then Jacob and Embry had entered the scene and added their own strength to the bonds that held her.

And through it all, it never occurred to him that Paul would ever be a factor in Bella Swan’s life.

Then one night after a scheduled Pack movie night, Jacob had begun ranting about how Bella was putting herself in danger by being around Paul. Billy could hardly believe it, because Paul was simply not someone he could imagine the girl would ever willingly associate with. But she had. Her huge heart had found room for the Were, and she had pulled him in. And Billy’d been terrified because Paul was a wild animal behind a deceptively handsome face. He could kill her and simply...not care.

But Bella…brave and sweet girl that she was, had somehow wound the wild animal around her little finger. She had no fear of him, and he never gave her reason to. He reached deep and found gentleness in himself to give to her. But Billy would never fool himself for a moment into thinking that he had any for anyone else.

So to hear Bella tell tales that painted him in a kinder light threw the Tribal Chief for a mental loop. That puppies, innocent and sweet little beings that they were, could treat him as if he were simply another of them dumbfounded him. And yes, he had laughed. Because it was a cute, funny little story. But it was like hearing a story about someone other than Paul, because it simply did not compute.

The clink of plates being set down drew him back to the present as Charlie placed a small stack of them at Bella’s elbow while she cut into a pan of lemon bars. Billy grinned in anticipation because he was always a sucker for lemon _anything_ and Bella’s recipe was a favorite of his. And he wasn’t disappointed as the first bite burst against his taste buds. He couldn’t help the happy groan that escaped him, nor the fact that he quickly downed the rest so that he could get to his second helping.

Charlie scowled at him even as he did the same, cutting a large piece of the rich desert. Bella just rolled her eyes and chuckled. Those two were such children together! It wasn’t as if there weren’t a whole cake pan and a half full of them. She chewed thoughtfully as she watched them, missing the way things had been before the mess with Jacob. She had heard from Sam and Embry that Jacob had done a great deal of growing up in the past couple of months, and was glad to hear it. She did not wish him ill, could not because he’d been her best friend for so long. Had done so much to help her after the whole Cullen mess had blown up in her face.

And…she was tired of being angry at him. She missed him. There was a Jacob-shaped hole in her life even with all the madness lately. Yeah he had fucked up, but even Leah said that he seemed to have gotten his head on right. Paul had said that if she wanted to be friends with Jacob again, that he could deal with it. He didn’t say that Jacob had earned back what he had lost from him, the respect that he had broken, but neither did Paul seem to feel as if Jacob needed to be punished any further.

Poking absently at the little bit of pastry left on her plate, Bella eyed the remaining pan of lemon bar on the stove. Then came to a decision. “Billy…” she started quietly. “Do you think Jacob would like the other pan?”

She felt Charlie nudge her knee with his and looked up to see him smiling at her. He gave her a faint nod of approval before nodding his head towards Billy who was also watching her with a gentle, knowing look. He reached over and covered her hand with his. “I think he would love it, Bella.”

It was the first, tentative sign of forgiveness that she had shown since the whole blowup. He had never questioned her about it, because she had been so completely betrayed by the very _thought_ that her best friend could do something that, to _her_ , felt like one of the lowest things one could possibly do...depriving someone of their autonomy. Billy knew about the Cullen boy’s treatment of Bella, and could well imagine something like that hitting home after the way she had been stripped of her own. That Jacob had borne the brunt of her delayed rage over her own treatment was entirely understandable.

Bella smiled back, though he could see the regret in her eyes. “I miss my friend,” she murmured.

“He misses you too, kiddo,” Billy assured her.

The girl turned her hand over and squeezed his before getting to her feet and collecting the plates on the table. She was just covering the remaining pan in saran wrap when her phone buzzed on the countertop by the sink. Glancing at it, she grinned at the caller ID, before snatching it up.

Beside him, Charlie smirked. “Your boyfriend?”

“Dad!” Bella huffed before rolling her eyes. She turned to Billy and smiled. “It was lovely to see you, Billy! I hope to see you again soon!” Then she turned and bolted up the kitchen stairs.

“Boyfriend?” Billy asked, turning towards Charlie. “When did she get a boyfriend?”

Charlie chuckled quietly and shook his head as he took over where Bella had left off in cleaning up. “She and Paul have apparently decided to stop dancing around each other.”

Billy blinked, stunned. Yeah, he knew that the two had grown closer than he had allowed others, knew that Paul actually allowed her to touch him where he was quick to hurt anyone else who tried. Jacob had been pretty vocal many times about Bella sitting in the Were’s lap. Her hugging him. He’d known that the basis of many of Jacob’s antics had been about hurt feelings and jealousy, but knowing _that_ was a great deal different than knowing that there was actually something _to_ his son’s jealousy. And Paul? He didn’t even think the Were was capable of normal human interaction at this point. “When…did this happen?”

Charlie shrugged. “Few days ago.”

“Charlie…you can’t be...You’ve _seen_ some of the shit that he’s pulled.” Billy couldn’t fathom Charlie’s calm acceptance. Paul had been ten years old the first time he had put a grown man into the hospital. Broken the man’s arm, a few of his ribs and bruised a kidney when he had attempted to restrain him so as to ascertain the extent of the damage Paul bore from his mother’s hands. He honestly didn’t know how Paul had gotten by in Florida with Bella’s family, how he managed to act like a normal person amongst so many vulnerable humans.

Charlie shook his head. “That kid’s not going to hurt Bella. Don’t think he’s capable of it. Been sleeping here most nights with her for the better part of a month, now, and he hasn’t done one thing to make me regret it.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus,” Billy muttered. He’d known that Jacob and Embry had spent nights with Bella, and occasionally Sam when she had been at her worst, but this was the first he’d heard of _Paul_ taking over that particular task. No one had mentioned it to him, never even hinted that those two had gotten quite _that_ close. Not even Jacob, who _had_ to have known through the Pack mind that Bella spent her nights cuddled up to someone who was fundamentally twisted, had said a word to his father. “Charlie, you can’t…I mean he’s…I can’t allow-“

“There is nothing for you to allow, Billy.” Charlie’s voice was firm. “This was settled weeks ago. She doesn’t sleep well without him. That’s why he was in Florida.”

Billy felt frustration build. “Does no one tell me anything anymore? Sam said that she wasn’t doing well away from the Pack and that he was sending the Wolf best able to look after her should a Cold One appear. He also said it was timely because Paul was getting nasty to live with without her there. I didn’t argue with him because it’s _his_ Pack and he seemed sure Paul could handle it, but this? I can’t-“

“Why does _everyone_ assume that either Bella or I are fools?” Charlie cut in. “You think I don’t know what that kid is capable of? You weren’t there when I pulled him off of a trio of gangbangers out in Seattle a couple years back. Was up there visiting a friend I went through the academy with when he got a call about the fight. We barely got there in time to keep Paul from beating one of them to death. Eighteen years old, Billy, and he was so close to killing someone that I was afraid that I was going to have to _shoot_ him to stop him. He was goddamned smiling with blood that didn’t even belong to him splattered across his face. Laughed at me when I cuffed him and fuck if he didn’t scare the shit out of me even then.”

Billy’s eyes were wide with horror. He hadn’t known about that. He did remember Paul disappearing for about a month, and had been ashamed of the relief he had felt.

“Paul would probably _still_ be in jail for that, except all three young men admitted that they had tried to mug him and were so damned scared of him after that that they refused to face him in court. SPD had to let him go because without charges, they couldn’t hold him. That happened _before_ he Phased, and he’s only gotten worse since. So don’t you think for one hot minute that I don’t understand how dangerous he is. “

Charlie sighed as he came back to the table and sat next to Billy. “But for all of that, he treats my daughter with more respect than I could have ever wished for her. Sam trusts Paul around her, and God knows what _he_ would do if he ever thought Bella was in danger. And when the Cullens come back? Because let’s face it, that little bastard Edward had a very unhealthy attraction to my daughter, above and beyond that ‘singer’ bullshit. I _know_ that shit isn’t over because Bella said that Vampires are emotionally static creatures and he was obsessed with her. She might have believed that crap about her being forgettable, but I don’t. And Paul? Paul will eat him alive and spit out glitter. She is the one thing in his life that he seems genuinely capable of caring about and I have no doubt that she is the only one completely safe with him.”

Billy tipped his head back and glanced up at the ceiling, quiet as he rolled the thought around his head. Bella actually safe with Paul. “God, I hope you’re not wrong about him.”

_Because it was damned clear that Charlie wasn’t going to move on this one._

A heavy hand landed on the wheelchair-bound man’s shoulder. “I’d like to think I’m a pretty good judge of character, old man. I’m _your_ friend, aren’t I?”

Billy scowled and playfully shoved it off, allowing Charlie to change the subject with good grace. “Now I _know_ you suck at judging people.”

Charlie laughed even as he gathered up their jackets, shrugging into his own and handing over the pan of pastry after Billy had done the same. Then he held open the door as his friend wheeled himself out towards Charlie’s truck. Long practice had Billy up in the passenger seat with his chair stowed in the back, then Charlie was driving back to La Push to take the other man home.

Billy allowed himself to be further diverted as Charlie told him all about the new woman in his life, smiling even through his awkwardness, and Billy couldn’t have been happier for him. He’d wondered how long it would take the man to get over the heartbreak caused by his ex-wife. Granted, he had never expected it to take quite _this_ long, but better late than never he supposed. And given that Billy couldn’t even bring himself to _think_ of looking at another woman after his loss of Sarah, he could completely respect it.

Soon enough, they were turning into Billy’s driveway and Charlie got him situated into his chair, then waved at him before heading back home. Billy wheeled himself up the ramp and finagled the door open before heading towards the light in the kitchen.

Jacob was sitting at the table eating leftover lasagna as he read a novel.

“Hey, kid.” Billy called as he maneuvered himself along the open path behind Jacob’s chair, ruffling his short hair as he passed by.

Jacob grinned. “Dad. How’d dinner go?”

“Good….that girl can cook! Maybe I’m biased, but I think she’s better than Emily…er…just don’t tell anyone I said that!” He didn’t want to accidentally offend Sam and his mate.

“Yeah, she can,” Jacob answered with a fond smile. “They’re both doing well?”

“Charlie, it seems, has finally found himself a woman,” Billy said as he shrugged out of his jacket and reached up to hang it on the coatrack.

His son laughed. “Go Charlie! He tell you about her?”

“Some. She’s apparently a new transfer from Seattle and decided for the both of them that they were going to start dating.”

The young Were snorted, amused. “Good for her. Charlie’s a good guy.”

Billy smiled. Then remembering the pan in his lap, he carefully set it down next to his son.

Jacob looked at it curiously, though Billy could easily see the greed of _any_ shapeshifter for sweets in his son’s eyes. “What’s that?”

“It’s a gift. From Bella.”

Jacob nodded with one last mournful look at the dessert, before lifting his book once more.

“For you.”

His head whipped up and back around in surprise. “Wait…? Really? For me?”

Billy just snorted a laugh. “Yeah, kid. She sent it for you. Said she missed you.”

Jacob reached out slowly and carefully pulled the pan closer, looking at it as if it somehow held answers to whatever questions Billy could already see rolling around in his head. “I miss her too,” he said quietly.

“I know. I told her so.”

A small smile curved his son’s lips as he reached back into the cabinet to pull out a clean knife before cutting himself a piece. Then he bit into it with a small, happy groan. “Oh man, I had forgotten how good these things were.”

Billy just ruffled the kid’s hair again, before wheeling himself back into his bedroom to get himself settled for the night.

In the kitchen, Jacob once more stared at the pan. Oh, he knew damned well that this wasn’t Bella saying that all was well and things were going to go back to how they had been. But it was a small olive branch of hope and Jacob was happy as fuck to accept it because he’d missed that girl like crazy. He hadn’t really expected it so soon, even though, yeah it had been months now. It had taken him weeks alone to accept that she wasn’t going to cave. But when he had finally accepted the gravity of what he had done, he had also accepted that Bella would be hard pressed to forgive it.

He had been even more ashamed when he had heard through the Pack mind that she was equating the way that he had treated her with the way Cullen had treated her. He had drawn the same conclusions as his father…that her rage about the thing with Paul had been fanned by the flame of her own experience with the Leech. Being deprived of his own independence was the thing that he had hated the most about being a Wolf. That he had turned about and attempted to do the same to two others was just…not acceptable. Not even to himself.

Because Sam had been right. The Wolves did not need a dictator. They needed an Alpha who cared and treated them with respect. Someone who could set aside their own selfishness to do the job that needed to be done…just like Sam had done. He knew he still had a lot to learn, had no illusions about that. But now he wasn’t blinded by his own possessiveness and was willing to put in the time to _do_ that learning.

The others were speaking to him again. His own childishness was no longer infecting his interactions with his fellow Wolves. They listened when he gave them directions and he made damned sure he never crossed the line. Some, like Leah and the Elder twins, were still incredibly wary though. Sam had bitten back his overprotective rage concerning his sister and did his best to reintegrate him with the rest. Paul….well, Paul was still a chilling presence in the Pack mind and Jacob found himself now eternally grateful for the fact that he couldn’t see into his head.

Shaking his own head, he carefully re-covered the pan and set it on top of the refrigerator…unwilling to simply down them all in one go because of the meaning behind them. Jacob opened the door to the brisk winter night and stepped barefoot out into the snow before breaking into a jog as he left the lights of his back porch behind.

He was finally at the point where he accepted that he and Bella were simply not meant to be. He’d seen clearly through the Pack mind just how attached the girl was to Paul and suspected that even without all the supernatural crap she would _still_ have gravitated to him in the end. They meshed in a way that was just crazy. She was all heart while he had none. Sam had suspicions that Paul might have actually Imprinted. But Jacob also agreed that there was something wrong with that conclusion because as malicious as Paul could be, he was aware that Paul would have gutted him like a fish when he had put his hands on Bella if there _had_ been an Imprint.

He also…honestly…did not want Imprinting for Bella. Learning more about the concept was beginning to leave him with a bad aftertaste. Free will was something that many of the Wolves struggled to maintain, and to have that stripped from them over something as fundamental as their choice in mate was just…wrong. In so many ways, forced devotion in whatever capacity _another_ chose for them was frightening.

Deep down, he wondered just how likely Sam and Emily’s relationship would be to survive without the Imprint. He had greater faith in Kim and Jared because Kim had refused to accept blind devotion. Had demanded an equal and had worked to gain one. He had honestly begun to feel a bit uncomfortable around Emily the more he heard, because he wasn’t sure how he felt about the fact that Emily had taken Sam the way she had when there had been a whole _host_ of possibilities available in her relationship with the Alpha Wolf.

_Not that avoiding her was all that hard the last couple of days…_

She’d been strangely distant and snappish. It was so _not_ like her that Jacob had wanted to ask her if she was okay, but he hadn’t wanted to involve himself in something that was really none of his business, because she was cool to Sam as well.

A distant howl brought him out of his thoughts and Jacob hurried behind the tree line, stripped to his skin as he bolted a heavy mental door over his thoughts on Imprinting, then phased as he took off down the trail.

 _“Jacob.”_ Jared’s calm voice sounded in his mind _as he approached from out deep in the woods._

_“Jared. Things look clear so far?” There was a feeling of agreement with the question, and Jacob broke into a lope along the Patrol marker._

_“Leah and Quil also reported it as all clear before they left,” Jared informed him as he turned in the opposite direction._

_Jacob projected his acknowledgement to his running mate as he opened his senses to their fullest, taking in the clean night air as he moved silently through the darkness. There was no sign of anything out there, neither human nor undead. Nothing but forest animals. And eventually, Jacob’s thoughts returned to Bella’s peace offering. He pondered on the best way to respond…to let her know he was open to reconciliation without making her feel rushed._

_“She’s finally decided to open channels, huh?” Jared’s voice was almost carefully neutral as he voiced his curiosity._

_Jacob purposefully ran through the recent memory, leaving nothing out to let the other Wolf draw his own conclusions. Jared watched it unfold and Jacob felt him sorting his thoughts. Didn’t feel the need weigh in on his conclusion because whatever he had to say about it was his right as Bella’s brother._

_“Good. She missed you, Jake,” he finally offered._

_“And..?” Because he could almost feel the other words just floating through their connection._

_“And. You lay hands on her again and I beat the ever loving fuck out of you, kid.” Jared’s tone never changed. Was as calm as ever, and somehow that made the threat all the more real. It also made it very easy to remember that this Wolf was Paul’s cousin._

_But Jacob did not raise to the bait. He sent assent across the link. “That will not ever be a problem again. I won’t let it. Not with her. Not with anyone.”_

_He felt Jared push at his thoughts and allowed him to see the remorse, the lack of forgiveness for himself that he still bore…would never allow himself to let go of. Let him see, as well, the guilt and regret for what he had done to Paul. And the knowledge that he had gotten off lucky with a simple kick to the balls. There was a sense of considering, both of the new information and Jacob’s lack of hostility. Then acceptance._

_There was a moment of silence, and then by mutual agreement the topic was changed._

_“Jonah has been very quiet lately,” he offered. His observations of the other Wolf played through his mind, because Jared’s brother had been unusually quiet since The Fight._

_“Not really sure what the hell happened,” Jared responded as he leapt over an outcropping of rocks and limbo’d under a fallen tree. “He passed out after Paul beat the stupid out of him. Didn’t talk much other than to scream when Sam and I had to rebreak a few of his bones to get them set right. Since then he’s been…different. Never talks back to Mom and Dad. To Sam either, actually. Fuck…hardly talks at all now to be honest.”_

_Jacob had also seen the confusion in the newest Wolf. The shame and loneliness, because now he would not even try to endear himself to others as if sensing it would raise their suspicions for him to do so. Make them think his change was some kind of ruse. “Sam said something about him asking why his Wolf wasn’t talking to him anymore. Begged him to Alpha Order him to ignore it if it ever tried again.”_

_Jared gave a mental headshake. “Crazy shit, there._

_Jacob agreed. Because the Wolf wasn’t a separate entity. It had no consciousness of its own. It was simply instincts and drive and senses…it had no voice._

_> }:{<_

_Jonah lay on the ground, head on his paws as Sam gently and carefully sorted through his head. It was slightly uncomfortable to have the Alpha so deeply inside his mind, but Sam was a welcomed guest if he could help figure out what the hell was going on with him. Old Quil sat on a tree stump by the younger Wolf’s side, his hand gentle as he stroked it over Jonah’s head and shoulders in a slow, repetitive motion that served to help keep the boy calm. The Elder’s face was pulled into a small scowl of worry as Sam took his time._

_The small clearing they currently occupied had been chosen for the fact that it was far enough away from where the other two currently patrolled that they would not likely be able to pick up on the Alpha and the newest Wolf, something that Jonah was grateful to his two companions for._

_“You okay?” Sam’s voice was a bit of a shock after the silence, but Jonah did his best not to startle...didn’t want to scare the old man who was being kind to him._

_“Yeah. I’m good,” he insisted, because the sooner Sam finished then the sooner he might be able to get answers._

_“Almost done,” Sam said, feeling Jonah’s unease._

_The surprisingly strong hand continued to stroke over his head, occasionally scratching behind his ears and rubbing between his eyes before returning to their hypnotic rhythm. The silence was almost deafening in the clearing and Jonah was close to twitching with anxiety when Sam finally pulled back. The older Were Phased human before sitting his naked ass on a fallen log not far from the Elder._

_“Well?” Old Quil asked._

_Sam raked one hand through his hair and pulled the other down his face. “There was definitely something talking to him. He wasn’t imagining it.”_

_There was a pause in the Elder’s rhythm, then he picked it up again. Jonah kept his head down but his eyes lifted towards his Alpha. He couldn’t help the small wolfish whimper of fear that escaped, because he had honestly been hoping he was just loony-toons. Sam glanced back at him, his face screwed up in sympathy. “It seems to have stopped talking after the confrontation with his cousin.”_

_God, he didn’t even blame Sam or his brother for handing him over to Paul at this point. Because, Christ, he had been such a piece of shit. He was glad that Paul had knocked him fucking silly because his Wolf had been a selfish, horrible bastard above and beyond even his own previous standards. If he could have found the willpower to simply stop Phasing, he would have done so to get away from it. To stop hearing it’s filth trying to make him do things even he knew were wrong. He hated himself almost as bad as he hated the Wolf, because while he had been awful to his family before…the things it had driven him to say and do after he had Phased had made him sick when it had finally stopped. When his mind was blessedly empty of its sneering, spiteful voice. And despite the fear, he felt this profound sense of peace without the choking need to hurt everyone. Even if it was only a temporary reprieve..._

_Sam sighed, a long, drawn out sound of frustration and worry. “He’s always had trouble with accepting kindness from what I can see. Accepting love and returning it. There’s this…strange warping around his memories, like he was seeing the world through a filthy mirror. I can’t…describe it. But it’s been there his whole damned life. Goddamn….no wonder he was such a bitter pain in the ass. It’s like there was this poisonous, half-formed version of whatever the hell was talking to him since he can remember. I see why he assumed it was the Wolf, however…it started speaking in actual words when he Phased.”_

_Jonah was doing his best not to be terrified, even though Sam sounded apprehensive. If it was not just his Wolf talking to him, then what the hell was it? Because Sam was right…all his damned life he’d felt like an outsider…not welcomed or wanted. Spite had been an easy response, and he’d unleashed it on everything and everyone in his path. Hurt people who never deserved it, and who had loved him, and oh God, he hated himself so much…_

_Now he was adding to Sam’s worries, because he couldn’t just be a normal freak of nature like the rest of his Pack, he had to be an extra-special freak. Not like the man didn’t have enough to worry about; the reasons why the Pack was so large. What was coming. Why a few members of the Pack were beginning to shrug off Alpha Commands. Why Leah was acting so distant again. What was Paul doing with Bella…and oh fuck him, because his scary-as-all-fuck cousin was apparently now dating the girl he had already beaten Jonah for scaring. If Jacob was actually growing up, finally. Something about bears that he hadn’t really gotten a grasp on. And Emily. Who was apparently behaving strangely the last couple of days? Distant even from Sam and refusing to talk about it when asked._

_In the past, Jonah would have made a snide remark. It would have been second nature to insinuate something cruel. And for a moment he was confused, because it was such a long ingrained habit that even with his new understanding of what he had been, he was surprised that it hadn’t come out. But…no…Just no. He couldn’t hurt Sam like that. Didn’t want to. Didn’t want to hurt anyone ever again. He didn’t want to be that disgusting, selfish jerk that had all but destroyed his own family._

_“Then something truly is gravely wrong,” Old Quil said as he got to his feet. Sam did the same, at ease in his bare skin in the middle of a snowy winter night. He turned once more to the boy in the snow and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him. God, the poor kid had been so completely fucked in the head._

_The first week after the fight between the cousins, Sam had seriously rethought his decision to let Paul have a piece of him, because Jonah hadn’t spoken one word. To anyone. Then, slowly, after he was deemed well enough to begin Phasing again, he had begun to speak again, but there was absolutely nothing of the snotty bastard Sam had grown to dread. He was quiet, and really, he only answered when required by circumstance or when spoken to. A couple of months had passed…then one night Jonah had hesitantly knocked on his front door. He’d thought at first he had imagined it, it had been so soft, but it had repeated a few seconds later and he had gotten up from dinner to go see who it was._

_He’d been shocked as shit to see Jonah. A Jonah who was nervous and twitchy and…scared. Not faking it, but really and truly scared. He’d not seemed able to look him in the eyes as he’d quietly asked the Alpha he had spurned if there was anything he could do to stop the Wolf from ever talking to him again._

_Sam had been utterly stupefied by the question. Because while they all occasionally liked to blame a comment or action on the Wolf, no one had ever suggested that it had actually spoken to them before. He’d started to ask the kid why he thought the Wolf was talking to him, when Jonah had crumbled in on himself. Sam had felt helpless as the boy actually began begging him to make it go away. Make him stop hearing the Wolf when it came back, because he hadn’t heard it since Paul had rattled his skull and he didn’t want to hear it, because it was constantly demanding horrible things and he was scared that he was going to do them because it hurt so bad when he didn’t._

_And if at first he had even considered for one single second that this might be some weird prank, one whiff of the boy had changed his mind. Jonah had absolutely reeked of fear. And so Sam had done the only thing he could think to do at that point, hugging the kid as hard as he could when Jonah had started shaking, clearly trying not to cry. It did not matter what the kid had been like before, this threatened to break Sam’s heart because these Wolves were his kids and something had fucked with one of them. Badly. Agony and self-loathing had fairly radiated from him and Sam had immediately made a mental note to call Quil’s grandfather first thing the next morning, because he had made it his business to know as much as he could about Tribal history._

_Which led them to now, Jonah’s worried amber eyes glancing up at the two men from his prone position in the snow. Sam jerked his head in an indication that the kid should stand and gently ruffled his fur when he did so before turning back to the Elder._

_“I will look into this,” the old man promised the Wolf, voice matching the solemnity of his age-lined face. “You have my word, young man, that I will do my utmost to discover what could possibly have done this to you.”_

_Jonah gave a small, jerky nod of his great shaggy head. Accepted the Elder’s assurance that he would get to the bottom of the whole thing even if he was nervous about the lack of ready knowledge on how to fix him. The two Packmates watched Quil Sr. make his way toward his own back yard and then step in the back door, before Sam Phased back into the great black Wolf._

_“You’re going to be okay, Jonah,” Sam said into the link. “I know that this shit has to suck, but now that we know that it’s not…well…”_

_“It’s okay, Sam. I was actually kind of hoping that I was crazy, myself.” There was a wan humor in the smaller Wolf’s voice as he kept pace with Sam, the pair of them walking the path towards the Cameron household._

_Sam hated every Goddamned second of this shit, because no one deserved to have their mind fucked with. “Is there anything I can do, in the meantime, to help make the waiting easier?”_

_Jonah was quiet for a moment as he considered the offer. Then he answered. “Can you make it so I don’t think about this where anyone else can hear it? I don’t like knowing that it could come back before I can be…fixed…I don’t want the others knowing that I’m a ticking timebomb.”_

_Because if they thought he might regress, they would once more treat him as a pariah. Shit. The kid was already damaged enough, he didn’t need that on top of it. He already hated himself enough as it was for things that it was looking more and more likely that weren’t even really his fault. And thankfully he was once more a non-entity to his cousin, because Sam didn’t need that nightmare if Paul decided that Jonah was a potential threat to Bella’s wellbeing. “You got it. **You will not think or speak of your situation to your Packmates until such a time as you are either free of it, or I have given you permission to do so.”**_

_There was a sigh of relief from the roan-colored Wolf. “Thank you, Sam.”_

_“No problem. You gonna be okay tonight?”_

_“I think so…just knowing that someone is looking into making this stop is…”_

_“Yeah. I feel you.”_

_Snow crunched under their huge paws as they continued in silence for a while, taking in the scents and sounds of the forest. Sam glanced at the smaller Wolf from time to time, noting the changes in him since he’d recovered from his injuries. He moved differently now. Easier and far more graceful as if he were finally in harmony with his own body. The constant angry tension had dropped from him, leaving him able to appreciate new things such as the forest at night and the feel of the sudden wind through his fur._

_“Have you thought about what it is you do want to say to the others?” Sam finally asked._

_“I have so many apologies to make, I hardly know where to start,” Jonah responded quietly._

_“I think your family might be a good place,”_ The Alpha offered.

 _“Yeah…probably. Mom and Dad have been watching me like I’m a pod-person. Don’t really blame ‘em, honestly. Man, I was such a world-class shithead. But…it would be kinda nice to just be with my parents without them wondering when I’m gonna say or do something hurtful,”_ the boy said wistfully.

_“They’re your parents. They love you and they will forgive you, especially once we get all of this sorted out. Your father is a pretty damned good guy and I suspect that if anyone even suggests to him that none of this shit is your fault, he’s going to be setting right next to Quil’s grandpa figuring out how to fix it.”_

_“You think so?”_

_“I know so,”_ Sam insisted, backing up the assertion with a wave of confidence.

 _“The others,”_ Jonah said after a time. “W _ell, that’s not as hard. If I can talk to them while Phased, then they can see that I mean it. They would have every right to be suspicious of me without being able to see for themselves. Jared and Bella, though…I just…can’t.”_ Jonah trailed off.

Sam turned his head and glanced at him sharply.

_“Jared…he’s my brother. He always tried to be the best brother he could be…and I was the one who failed him. All my life, I failed him. I hurt him, and worse…I hurt his mate just to be able to hurt him more. I don’t deserve forgiveness from him. I don’t even deserve to ask him for it._

Sam narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Because that was spoken like someone who loved their brother dearly and simply did not understand how to fix the thing he had spent a lifetime breaking. _“You hardly know Bella though,”_ Sam prodded, tone carefully neutral.

 _“Bella…she’s…I don’t quite know how to explain.”_ He paused, sorted through a few thoughts, then tried again. _“Bella is kind of like this huge, important piece of the Pack. And yeah, she’s special to you guys…but…somehow, I feel like she’s special even above and beyond how you all feel about her. I haven’t been near her since Paul knocked sense into me, but…jeez, I how do I explain this? She just feels different to me, and not even like Kim and Emily do as extensions of the Pack,”_ Jonah finished, though he sounded a bit frustrated by his inability to communicate his thoughts.

 _Oh fuck_ , Sam thought, dread curdling in his gut. _Please, to **any** god up their listening, do **not**_ _let this kid Imprint on Bella!_ Bella would be horribly upset by it and not just because of the direction of her own affections. There was an unwritten rule in the Pack that no Wolf would stand in the way of another’s Imprint and she would know damned well the mess it would cause. And Sam didn’t even want to contemplate how exponentially bad things would get once Paul got involved, because the big Were wasn’t likely to roll over for tradition.

Jonah actually chuffed in lupine amusement. _“Oh, he’d kill me. No mistake, there. No worries, though. Bella is…Well, she’s a pretty cool chick from what I have seen of her in the others heads, now that I’m not too screwed up to see it. And she’s gorgeous as hell. I’m not blind…at least, not anymore. I’d be one seriously lucky guy if she liked me like that. But…Imprinting? No. Don’t understand why I know for sure, but I know that’s not what this is. I just feel like she’s important in some way. Special,”_ he repeated.

Sam was quiet again as he pondered Jonah’s certainty. Because he _was_ absolutely and completely certain of himself. With everything he knew about himself up in the air, it was the one thing that he seemed to know without question. And if he was right, then he was even happier that Paul had taken to her. Because while the rest of them would do their best to protect her, and their best was pretty damned impressive, Paul was a scary motherfucker on an entirely different level.

Soon, the Cameron household came into view, and Jonah wished him a good night before Phasing human and throwing on a pair of cutoffs. He ran through his backyard and then walked in the back door, leaving Sam to trudge home in silence. And now that he was alone, he finally let himself think about his mate. His mate that was avoiding him.

The past couple of days, Emily had seemingly gone about her business as usual. She woke up around seven and started breakfast, before sending Sam off to work. Made him a lunch to take with him, and had dinner waiting when he got home. But when he tried to be affectionate with her, she would…stiffen up. Sometimes step away. Smile like nothing was wrong, like she was sure he wouldn’t notice.

Like he could _fail_ to notice?

When he tried to ask her if anything was wrong, she said she was fine, then went about doing something or other that…did not include him.

Coming up on his own yard, Sam Phased and ran through the snow before heading in the back door, thankful that, for once, Emily seemed to forgotten to leave the lights on. He opened the fridge and wolfed down a cold chicken breast, then quietly headed up the stairs so as not to wake Emily. The pattern of her breathing indicated slumber, though he was a bit surprised as to why it was coming from the bathroom.

Then he just really didn’t know _what_ the fuck to think. Because Emily was sleeping in the bathtub. It was a huge, clawfoot tub that even _he_ could soak in comfortably. Her head was back against the inflatable cushion as she lay in the water up to her neck. The tap was on, though set to a small trickle, keeping the temperature warm. The small table beside the tub held one of the romance novels that she loved to read, an empty wine glass, and a nearly empty bottle of red wine.

Sam just stood there in the doorway, completely lost as to why she would to something so stupid and unlike herself. Then he sighed and shook his head. Stepping closer, he turned off the water and then flicked the drain lever to empty the tub, the sound of the water running out rousing the sleeping woman. She blinked at him for a moment, then rubbed a hand over her eyes before getting to her feet and reaching for the towel on the rack. Smiling absently at the confused Were, she wrapped it about herself as she stepped out of the tub and walked into the closet.

Normally, she didn’t mind at all if he watched her while she moved around naked. But tonight, she pushed the door partially shut as if to block him from seeing her. He could hear her dressing and clenched his jaw hard, biting back the words that wanted to spill forth. She clearly wasn’t willing to tell him what the hell was going on and he had never been the type to berate a woman for wanting their privacy.

He forced himself to relax his taut muscles and let go of the frustration eating at him as he moved into the bedroom, turning off the bedside lamp as he climbed under the covers to wait for his mate. And even then, he only just managed to keep himself from growling when she stepped into the room, covered from her neck to her toes in huge, baggy flannel pajamas. Yeah, it was cold, but she’d never hesitated to let him keep her warm before. She climbed in on the other side of the bed and offered up a quiet good night.

Sam lay there in the darkness and did one of the things he did best…he worried. Because she had left him with little else he could do other than to beg her to talk to him…to tell him what had happened or what he might have done. The Imprint tugged at him and let him know in no uncertain terms that she was not happy, but for the life of him he could not figure out _why_.

Emily was nearly asleep when he finally gave into the urge to be near her and spooned himself up against her back, his arm coming up to curl across her hips. She didn’t try to get away, but for some reason, he was not reassured. He felt…lost…and abandoned in some way despite the presence of the woman he held in his arms. He held her tighter, trying to take comfort in the fact that she whispered ‘love you’ right before she dropped off.

He tried. He failed.

>}:{<

 

 


	30. Calm Before the Storm - Fall Out Boy

Bella hummed as she cleaned up the kitchen, letting herself zone out while she worked.

It had been a bit of a long week for her. School had been as expected, with the teachers having apparently decided that two weeks of vacation meant that they could dump extra work on their students to make of for their short period of freedom. Her English teacher had been especially cruel and assigned a five page paper to each of them, the subject chosen by drawing from a list of poets.

Sylvia Plath…just ugg…

Not that she was a bad writer, but her poems made Bella want to brain herself in self-defense. Being intimately familiar with depression, even if it had been short lived and supernaturally induced, Bella hadn’t been terribly fond of having to dig into the woman’s life. She’d have paid good money to have been able to trade Mike, because Shel Silverstein was a lifelong favorite. And she honestly would have tried, but for two things…the teacher said no trades, and Mike had been strangely sour towards her ever since the party at Lauren’s. Never outright hostile, but not like the overeager puppy he had been. And while she was relieved that he seemed to have finally taken the hint that she wasn’t interested, she’d never intended to cause hurt feelings. Lauren had also apparently gotten her panties in a twist about Bella’s response to her last attempt at embarrassing her, and was now seemingly on a mission to figure out just who had gotten close to her nemesis because she was a nosey little twit. She’d actually brought it up at lunch one day, slyly eying the other girl as she prodded their table mates for what they might know or have seen. Bella had groaned and turned red, burying her face in her arms as the others laughed. She knew that for most of the others, it was all in good fun and they were just teasing her, but _jeez_ …

Angela had just made sympathetic faces and rubbed her back, because there was very little else she could do.

It didn’t help that Bella’s week outside of school had been just as wearying.

Last Friday after Charlie got back from work, they had all sat down and hashed out how things would work now that she and Paul’s relationship status had changed. She’d been nervous as hell about it despite Charlie’s acceptance, but had managed to not get herself too worked up. And Charlie had once more proved that he was pretty much the coolest dad in existence, because he said that as long as the rules still applied…no funny business under his roof…he wasn’t going to change the status quo. Paul was still welcome, and Bella had pretty much strangled the man half to death while hugging him.

Paul had been unusually careful with her after whatever had happened in the shower that morning, as if even _he_ were unnerved by what had happened. He offered and took kisses freely, but he didn’t push for more. Bella wasn’t sure whether or not she was relieved or disappointed. She knew that he hadn’t simply lost interest, because sleeping that close to him left little in the way of illusions over how her body affected him and he made no effort to hide it. Seemingly took pleasure in the way it both caused her to blush and fascinated her. That part hadn’t been bad, but then Paul had been called up for Patrol duty Sunday night. Monday and Tuesday night, he had covered The Haven because one of the other bouncers had had to spend a couple of days looking after his baby sister while his parents rushed off to deal with his delinquent younger brother who was off at college. On top of his scheduled afternoon shifts, it had left Paul with little time to do more than sleep in the mornings, though he had called her right before she went to bed and let her talk at him for a bit while she got settled in.

Wednesday, during lunch, Angela’s parents had been called away on a family emergency and they had asked if Bella could come sleep over with their daughter so she wouldn’t be alone. Angela had tried to tell them that she would be fine, she wasn’t exactly a child anymore, but her father had insisted that she hand the phone over to Bella and had asked the girl himself. Bella had quickly found herself assuring the man that she was more than willing to keep her friend company while they were out of town and sent her best wishes for Angela’s uncle who had apparently been in a car wreck and had banged himself up pretty good.

After the call, Angela had once more tried to insist that she would be fine, but Bella had simply smirked at her and told her that she wasn’t gonna break her word to a _minister_. Angela had scowled, not wanting to put anyone out, but had finally given in and the two girls had taken over the Weber home until earlier this morning. It had been hard to be away from Paul that long, especially at night, but thankfully she had had Angela to share the bed with and it had at least been enough to let her sleep some so she wasn’t a complete zombie.

Still, not all of it had been bad. The art teacher had opened up the option of painting lessons and Bella had signed up eagerly. She’d always wanted to learn and she had seen some of the woman’s own work…she was very talented and Bella counted herself lucky to have the privilege of learning under her. She, herself, had always had a pretty decent eye for proportion and color and her virgin efforts were surprisingly not terrible.

Thursday, however, Bella had once more been forced to curb her latent homicidal urges when that stupid red car had just about run her off the road as she and Angela had been driving down the highway towards the Weber home. They had gone out to dinner and it was getting dark out as the two girls had huddled in their coats while they waited for the heater to kick in. She’d just turned onto the road, when it had come shooting across the lanes towards the next turn off. It hadn’t slowed down a bit as Bella had been forced to stomp her foot on the break and hope like hell that she had enough time to avoid the little piece of shit. Some of the words she had said after that had made Angela blink at her in surprise, though it seemed she was far more impressed than offended.

That night, when she had called Paul, she had still been a bit irate and wondering if she shouldn’t tell her dad, because that driver was a freakin’ _menace_. She’d been a little surprised at how quiet he was over the whole thing, though he had made certain that she and Angela were alright.

Looking back, she wasn’t sure how she hadn’t guessed at the identity of the driver given their absolute disregard of others, hinting at the one of the worst cases of entitlement she had ever seen in a human being. It was apparently a family trait. At that point she had been pretty sure the driver was male, because that car pretty much screamed ‘yes I have a dick and this car proves it’. But when Friday morning rolled around and Lauren had showed up whining that she’d had to catch a ride from Jessica because someone had murdered her brother’s beloved car, Bella had been amused but it hadn’t quite clicked in her head. It wasn’t till Lauren had mentioned the fact that her brother’s pride and joy was a little red Toyota sports car that she had put it together. After that, it was all she could do to keep a straight face, especially when Lauren had pulled up the text messages with the photos from her brother and passed around her phone to show off of the damage.

A few of the boys had let out whistles when it came around to them, because while the car hadn’t been totaled, the damage had been significant, rather specific, and not easily fixed. When Angela had leaned over and quietly asked what the chances were that it was _not_ the same car that had nearly wrecked them the night before, Bella had had to excuse herself quickly, claiming a bathroom emergency so she didn’t start laughing herself sick right there.

Now, she glanced over at Paul consideringly. The Were sat at the table, long legs stretched out beside the table and crossed at the ankle as he surfed the net on his phone. He’d showed up a few hours ago to keep her company while she finished her homework and did a few house chores and now waited while she cooked dinner for her dad and Samantha. Charlie had invited the woman over for a dinner-date, but then had become completely unlike himself and gotten himself discombobulated when he remembered at the last second that he didn’t actually know how to cook.

Bella had just laughed and taken over, sending him out for wine to serve with the baked ziti she had immediately begun preparing. Charlie had kissed her atop the head and thanked her profusely, relief practically bleeding out of every pore. She had already made the sauce and was straining the noodles while he ran to fetch his jacket and keys, stuffing his wallet into his jeans pocket as he did so. She did not, however, miss the thoughtful glance Charlie tossed Paul’s way as he walked by, nor the shake of his head as he said he’d be right back.

“So Lauren had an interesting story to tell yesterday at lunch,” she said, eyeing the Were carefully.

He lifted a sleek black brow in question, but continued to scroll the screen.

“Her brother tried to get into The Haven on Thursday night, but you guys were packed with that private party on the second floor so he was ‘forced’ to park on a side street a few blocks up because he didn’t want anyone to accidently scratch his car. The line to actually get in was pretty long and he claimed one of the bouncers gave him a hard time at the door because he forgot his ID in his car and he didn’t think he should have to make a second trip. Tried to pay him off to just let him in and was pretty pissed off when he was told to leave and not bother coming back without ID.”

Paul snorted quietly, but didn’t otherwise comment as he turned the phone sideways and started typing something out, fingers flying deftly over the screen.

Bella narrowed her eyes at his non-response before continuing. “A couple of his friends had already gone in or he would have just left, but instead he went back to his car. Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Because some vandals apparently _peeled_ the hood of his car up like a tuna can. Then they actually ripped the _engine_ out and dumped it on the curb. Strangely enough, they did _not_ break into the car itself.”

“You don’t say,” he returned mildly, his brow dropping back into place as a small whooshing sounded, the sound of an e-mail being sent.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

His eyes never left the screen, but a cheshire-cat smile slowly pulled at his lips. “Might.”

Bella snorted before laughing helplessly. It was the laughter that she had been forced to bury in the face of Lauren’s outrage over being forced to _carpool_. Her own car was in the shop being repainted some ridiculous custom color like mint/apple green with sparkles. More laughter that she had desperately choked back when Angela had innocently mentioned the chances of the cars being one and the same. She should have _known_ that Paul was far too quiet when she had called him, because he had been in the truck with her during her last encounter with Lauren’s stupid brother. Seen how pissed and scared she had been before helping her pull Bess back under control.

She should have seen something like this coming, because Paul wasn’t exactly well known for his unimpeachable morality. Something had bothered her and he had fixed it, it was that simple. Shaking her head as she strove to contain her giggles, she stepped across the room and bent to press her lips against the slope of his cheekbone. “You are pretty much awesome,” she declared, a smile curving her lips.

He turned towards her, eyes glinting with mischief, then suddenly went still, all traces of amusement slipping from his face.

Bella opened her mouth to ask him what was up, when he placed a hand over her lips to quiet her before jerking his head towards the stairs in a silent gesture to go up them as he swiftly got to his feet. She didn’t pause to question him, just hurried in the direction he had indicated before locking herself into her room. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she quickly dialed Charlie.

“Hey, Bella. I’m almost back.”

“Dad…something’s happening downstairs. Paul’s taking care of it, but he had me come upstairs.”

“Shit!” he bit out, and Bella could hear the siren suddenly wail to life in the background. “I’m on my way! Where are you?”

“Bedroom with the door locked,” she assured him.

“You see anything?” Charlie asked, apparently trying to get a handle on what might be going on.

She could hear the worry in his voice and wished she could reassure him better. She knew Paul would take care of it and knew that her father would reach the same conclusion, but just the thought of his daughter in the house while some unknown situation was unfolding would not sit well. “No, didn’t hear or see anything, just ran up and locked myself in.”

“And Samantha is due there in a half hour…” her Dad said worriedly. “Just…sit tight and stay on the line with me. I’m about a mile away.”

“Not moving,” she promised.

>}:{<

Samantha yawned as she checked her directions on the seat next to her and reached down for the can of Pepsi in the cup holder, chugging it down till her eyes watered and she could feel the buzz of the carbonation down the back of her throat.

Hopefully, the caffeine would kick in soon, because she really didn’t want to be yawning at the dinner table. She’d accidentally fallen asleep in front of the fire, earlier, and either hadn’t gotten enough of a nap or had gotten too much of one and now she was dreaming of pulling the blankets over her head when she got back home, no matter how much she had been looking forward to today.

Things had only picked up since last Friday when she and Charlie had arrived on the scene at the Blake residence. Thomas Blake had still been ranting at his neighbor’s boy Aiden as the poor kid waited for help. His shotgun was being waved about wildly and the young man’s eyes would widen with nervousness every time the barrel would pass by him, occasionally ducking when it looked to be pausing near him too long. The old man was going on about branding the horses that he now owned like they did when he was a boy when Charlie had reached them, hands held up placatingly so as to keep the gun from being turned on _him_.

Samantha had been stuck somewhere in the middle between laughter and duty as she watched her boss attempt to talk the crotchety senior down. He did stop waving the shotgun about, thankfully, and pointed it at the ground…where he then proceeded to nearly blow off his own foot when his own son came driving across the field with a sharp honk of his horn. Thomas was apparently a bit hard of hearing and hadn’t heard the truck approaching.

Clifton Blake had emerged from the cab of the truck at a run, his weathered face pulled into a worried scowl as he took in the sight of his father holding a gun and two cops standing between the old man and his neighbor’s teen son. Seeing the belligerent look on his father’s face, Clifton had shaken his head with a groan of exasperation as he began gently scolding him before disarming him. The old man’s lip had protruded in a pout as his brows beetled before grumpily allowing his son to urge him towards the passenger seat.

Clifton had then turned back to the other three, his tone painfully sincere as he apologized to Aiden and told him that he’d round up the horses and have them back to him before dinner because they had apparently disappeared into the woods with his own small herd. He’d then asked the kid to tell his dad that he’d call him later that evening because the two middle generations had long ago buried the hatchet and were good friends, handed Charlie the shotgun with the hope that it might forestall his father’s next tantrum, then drove the truck back to his house.

Aiden had politely thanked Charlie for his help, shook his head no with a laugh when Charlie asked if he wanted to have Thomas issued a warning (the old man had pulled a gun on him after all), before turning and trudging through the snow back towards the Riley household.

Thankfully the weekend had been pretty easy, though Monday had come all too soon because she’d been out late Sunday evening visiting a friend in Seattle. Things were not getting any easier out there and people were disappearing from their normal routines faster than they had been before she had transferred just a handful of weeks ago. The number of people in the psych wards had also increased, thankfully accounting for a good number of the missing. Though the number of exsanguinated had also increased…some now, even more disturbingly, _decapitated_.

One man, later discovered to be the owner of a local bar, had actually been drawn and quartered like they used to do back in the freaking _dark ages_. The remains had been found out on Alki beach after someone had called in and reported screams. All they had found were body parts, blood…and _hoof_ _prints_. _Massive_ hoof prints that had led away from the scattered limbs with frayed ropes still bound to them and then had simply _vanished_ from one gigantic stride to the next.

Mary had told her that her old boss, Chief Yardley, had quietly begun reaching out to any surrounding towns to find out if anyone else had seen any of the same problems, but it seemed that all of the trouble was concentrated in Seattle. Her friend had also quietly admitted that she had begun seeing strange things lately. Things that she could not really explain…or even worse, things that she had not heard mention of since she was a small child before her family had emigrated from Ireland.

Shaking her head, Samantha turned off into a quiet neighborhood and began to navigate the winding residential streets.

Charlie had invited her over to dinner at his house after their last date on Thursday night, where they had gone out to get pizza and saw a movie afterwards. Bella was apparently sleeping over at a friend’s house to keep her company while her parents were out of town and Charlie has left at loose ends. They had just been on their way towards Charlie’s truck when he had gotten a call about a vandalized vehicle. It was late…almost eleven thirty at night. But they had gone ahead and driven over because they were the closest to the scene of the crime.

It was near a nightclub that had started up a few years ago in the warehouse district, one ironically where Bella’s boyfriend worked. The place had been hopping as they drove by, a pair of seriously intimidating men in black checking IDs at the front door. Three blocks over, they had pulled onto a side street away from the main road and only dimly lit by sporadic street lights.

The car itself looked fine from the back. No broken windows, though the hood had looked a bit strange from her vantage point; crumpled and oddly ragged where it curled back over the windshield. It wasn’t until they pulled up alongside the car that the true damage was revealed…because there was no engine in the car. Charlie had whistled softly under his breath, before he parked in front and got out to talk to the owner, a young man who was absolutely livid.

He had been yelling and gesticulating wildly at the engine placed neatly on the curb as Charlie attempted to take down his information and statement. After more than a few rude comments, the Chief had finally ordered the blonde to chill out and keep a civil tongue in his head before he wound up being carted off to the precinct himself. The kid had been stunned by the fact that someone had actually treated him as the entitled little shit that he was proving himself to be. He had sputtered, before ranting about the cheap ass city council not putting up cameras after the Chief said that it would not be possible to check the footage because it did not exist. Charlie had narrowed his eyes and smoothly suggested that he use his family’s influence to get that changed.

It was sarcastic as hell and Samantha had been inwardly cheering him on even though it seemed to have completely bypassed the kid. He had proceeded to demand and threaten that they had better find the gang (Forks had gangs? Since when?) who had assaulted his car, or his dad was going to start making calls.

Fat lot of good it would do him, though, because Justin Mallory had parked well away from the club and far from the cameras The Haven had put up to oversee their rather expansive parking lot.

Samantha had drifted over to the car while Charlie did his best to keep his cool, and peeked into the gaping hole under the hood. She was by no means a car expert, but she had been pretty sure that the parts left behind were not supposed to be bent upward like that. Broken tubing and torn metal where the perpetrators has seemingly just _ripped_ the thing from where it was supposed to sit. The people who had done it must have been scary strong, because just lifting the engine out would have taken a group of people with pretty impressive muscle to pull it off, let alone pull it out without disconnecting it first.

Charlie had waited for the brat’s cab to arrive and saw him safely off before finally driving Samantha back to her house and dropping her off for the night.

Finally spotting the address, Samantha parked her SUV across the street. She knew she was early, but she had thought that maybe she could help Charlie get things ready and they could have more time to chat. But strangely, she didn’t see the man’s truck in the driveway. A bit odd, given the fact that she was due there in less than thirty minutes. Mentally shrugging as another yawn cracked her jaw, she reached for the Pepsi can and finished it off before glancing back at the house.

A light was on in the back of the house, and as she watched, a shadow slowly detached from the corner of the window before melting away again. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced up and down the street before getting out of her vehicle. Charlie said that Bella was out at the reservation for the night and wasn’t due back till around midnight. She shut the door carefully, thankful that the Honda was new so it closed with only a quiet click. Watching the window carefully, she saw the shadow again, this time crossing the window completely from one side to the other.

Shit…

Samantha moved quietly up the walk way, stepping up beside the door and then cursing when she realized that the window in the door was frosted, not affording her any more of a view into the house than the side window with its shade had. She didn’t want to just walk in with an unknown perp in the house, but…it was _Charlie’s_ house. She’d never be able to stand herself if she didn’t _do_ something and there was an intruder in the man’s home. Jesus…you’d think that the _Chief of Police_ would be the very _last_ person someone would try to rob.

Reaching for the knob, she was surprised that it turned easily. Then she rethought that, because if the lock had been picked _of course_ it would be left open. She carefully eased her gun from the shoulder holster under her jacket, then slowly opened the door before she stepped into the darkness. The house wasn’t huge, but it was large enough and she didn’t know the layout so she stepped carefully. She didn’t want to let the thief or thieves know she was there until she could peek into the lit room and scope out the situation. Didn’t want to give away her only advantage along with the fact that she was alone. Besides, most people tended to give up pretty easily when faced with a gun, especially if they were young and new to breaking and entering.

She would never be sure later just what exactly it was that tipped her off that she was no longer alone in the room, but suddenly the little hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The room felt inexplicably colder just then and a chill of actual fear raced up her spine as she whipped around to point the barrel of her Sig at whoever it was that had managed to come up behind her. She couldn’t see anything in the total darkness of the room. She stumbled as whomever was there grabbed her shoulder and spun her off balance. Someone with a longer reach than her own wrapped a huge hand about one of her wrists before neatly plucking the gun from her hands, despite her death grip on it. She lifted her free arm and brought her elbow back and up sharply in an attempt to knock the breath out of her attacker and hopefully stun him, but all it did was send a spasm of dull, aching pain down through her arm as it felt like it slammed up against his ribs.

Inwardly cursing, she spun out from under his (and she was pretty sure it _was_ a male given his reach and apparent size) arm before attempting to dig her fingers into the pressure point in his wrist to force him to let go of her…but it was like trying to squeeze thick, steel cables. He ignored it so she quickly switched her efforts to bringing her knee up to nail him in the balls, but he simply twisted and blocked her with his outer thigh.

“Not nice,” a deep, wicked voice purred in amusement.

“Fuck you!” she snarled, and was met with a husky laugh.

A part of her was royally pissed because she was being mocked by a perp. The rest of her was far more frightened, because that voice…that laughter…hit her in ways that she could barely stomach. Horror spread because she could feel heat dancing across her skin that had nothing to do with anger. It was like something had actually stroked across her nerve endings, and disgust followed because she wasn’t the type to be turned on by being roughly handled or controlled by a man, and she lashed out at him wildly; snapped out kicks and threw vicious punches all the while pulling at her captured arm as panic began to bloom when he blocked her with terrifying ease.

It was like trying to fight shadows and living steel, throwing her off balance as he slipped out of the path of her attacks or let them glance off his arms and legs, never letting her land a solid blow to his body. The desperate punch she threw at his throat went sailing over his shoulder when he dropped it and seemingly just _melted_ sideways. Helpless rage was just beginning to set in when she finally overcommitted to a punch that he let brush past his ribs and spun her off her feet, then picked her up and actually _launched_ her across the room, where, thank god, she landed with a thump on a sofa.

Before she could gather her wits to push herself up and either reengage or try to escape, he silently appeared behind her, a huge hand wrapping warningly around the back of her neck. “Sit still,” the voice said calmly…politely.

She was panting slightly from her efforts, her heart thundering in her chest, but she managed a nod of agreement. This man had just disarmed her and shrugged off her attacks as one would a child’s. She hoped like all hell that Charlie would walk through the door soon…yet dreaded it as well for his safety. Her feet stung where she had kicked the intruder, her knuckles throbbing from where he had turned her punches off of his arm. Then she didn’t move at all, because there was a familiar slide of steel against steel and she wondered if this was how she was going to buy it…shot dead in the dark by an unknown assailant in her boss’ home.

There was a muffled click and light suddenly flooded the room, causing her to blink in surprise as her eyes tried to adjust. A muffled creak of leather like someone sitting in a chair. “Over,” the voice said, and she slowly obeyed, rolling over and sitting up; careful not to make any sudden moves.

Bella’s boyfriend sat in the chair facing the sofa, one side of his mouth kicked up as he watched her from behind the silver lenses of a pair of sunglasses. And Jesus fucking Christ if he didn’t actually look even bigger in person. Long legs stretched out and crossed negligently at the ankles, his head cocked to the side, black-as-sin hair pulled back from that face that was even more unnervingly gorgeous than she had remembered. His huge body was lazily slouched back in the chair, though she didn’t think for one stupid second that he wouldn’t be on her if she so much as twitched out of turn.

Charlie had warned her. Gone out of his way to make certain that she knew fighting with this male would be a bad idea. That he was good at it. She’d never dreamed just _how_ good, because for all that she knew herself to be a well taught and highly capable combatant, he had easily outclassed her.

Looking at him now, she could easily see why others did not know how to deal with him. Cops were pretty much Alpha creatures almost as a rule, and this young man was clearly a threat to that. Did not give one good fuck for their need to be the leader of their pack because he _knew_ he was. He was simply taller, stronger, more dangerous and utterly uncaring of anyone who might try to dominate him to ‘get their own back’, as the Chief had so aptly stated.

But it wasn’t the size of him that staggered _her_ …not his beautiful face or the easy feline grace of him.

Holy _fuck_ did the young man have _presence_.

It wasn’t something one could sense in a photograph. Couldn’t _see_ in a picture. This close, you only had to _look_ at him to see him for the predator he so clearly was. Confidence. Power. Danger. Dynamite on a short fuse set next to an open flame. The way he could watch you in the same chilling way that _tigers_ would watch you as they idly pondered on whether or not they were going to actually _eat_ you, or _gut_ you just for the simple pleasure of watching you bleed out. The body language of a supremely unconcerned and well-fed apex predator in the company of prey. And the unnerving ability to _attract_ despite the threat he offered.

There was an almost absent flick of his wrist and something small and heavy landed in her lap. Her eyes reflexively dropped to see what it was and was startled to see the clip from her gun. She looked up in time to see him ease back the slide and eject the last bullet from the gun, placing it on the side table next to his chair.

_Apparently, he didn’t intend to shoot her with her own gun._

Part of her, the analytical cop, wondered why Paul was actually here. Now that she knew his identity and the fact that he had an open invitation to Charlie’s house, theft wasn’t looking so likely. He was Bella’s boyfriend, and from what the girl’s dad had told her, they were the next thing to inseparable. If his girlfriend was out with their group of friends, then why was he here at Charlie’s without…

Just then she could have _smacked_ herself. Jesus…goddamned _rookie_ mistake. She did not have all the facts and jumped to conclusions. Because any boyfriend worth the title would not take it lightly when an unknown someone came into the space that their loved one occupied, especially if that someone was carrying a freaking _gun_. He’d reacted to contain a threat that had presented itself, and not to a _cop_ doing the very same, because she had not _identified herself._

Suddenly, something apparently caught his attention and he turned his head toward the front door. He was almost completely still, other than to absently spin her empty gun around a forefinger. Like he was waiting for something…

Someone?

Her ears picked up the faint sounds of a siren through the open door, getting louder as it quickly approached. And she didn’t have to wait long before it stopped in front of the house, lights flashing through the open door as Charlie burst in, gun drawn. His eyes darted quickly about the room, before settling on the two of them, his expression swiftly shifting into one of confusion. He lowered the gun slowly, coming up out of the semi-crouch he had been in.

“Bella?” he called out, eyes never leaving them even as footsteps eventually sounded at the top of the staircase before moving downward.

Charlie’s daughter walked calmly into the room, going straight to her father and leaning into his side under the arm he had blindly held out towards her.

Her pictures actually hadn’t done her justice, Samantha decided, because Bella was artlessly stunning in a way that many girls attempted and few ever achieved. A v-necked t-shirt and blue jeans showed her to be a healthy, curvy young woman with well-defined muscle in her long legs and toned arms. Dark curly hair just below her shoulders, with a long, swan’s neck and a sweet heart-shaped face. Cupid’s bow lips and huge doe eyes.

She glanced at Samantha curiously for a moment, then her eyes widened when she apparently recognized the woman on the sofa.

“Paul? Samantha? Someone want to tell me what’s going on?” Charlie asked quietly, eyes intent.

Paul didn’t say a word, just got to his feet and handed Charlie the gun, brow lifted at Samantha as he stepped away.

Samantha sighed and decided it was best to woman-up. “It was my fault, Charlie. I got here early and saw movement in the house. You had said that Bella wasn’t going to be here, so I assumed that whoever was in the house wasn’t welcome…I kinda screwed up…came in with a gun drawn and didn’t identify myself.”

Bella’s face screwed up with the most amazing mix of expressions. Sympathy. Worry. Eagerness. Understanding. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as she started to gnaw her lower lip for a moment. Then she simply blurted out: “Well, I had really wanted to meet you, but somehow this was not _quite_ how I had pictured it happening!”

Thankfully that managed to cut the tension and Charlie relaxed, a faint smile curling his lips as Bella continued. “I’m Bella, by the way…although that’s pretty obvious at this point, I think,” she said as she rolled her eyes at herself. “That’s Paul. Not sure if you two got to the name exchange part. I _was_ hoping to get you meet you after you guys had had a few more dates, I know that springing the kid on someone is kind of a big deal. We wouldn’t have even been here _tonight_ but Dad kinda got nervous and forgot that he doesn’t really know how to cook.”

Samantha smothered a laugh as Bella accidentally threw Charlie under the bus.

“Then I sent him out at the last second to get wine to go with the meal and…uh…Dad? Shouldn’t you turn off the siren?”

Charlie just shook his head and walked out of the house to apparently go do just that.

“And I’m really sorry for the misunderstanding!” Bella said earnestly. “I just wanted you two to have a nice dinner and get to hang out on your own. And I’m sorry that you got scared and then kinda bumped into Paul and…um…yeah, shutting up now,” the girl trailed off, eyes wide at her own runaway mouth.

And Samantha knew right then that the two of them were going to get along famously. Charlie’s girl was ridiculously cute as she babbled, bringing a smile to the older woman’s lips. It seemed she hadn’t managed to screw things up quite as badly as she had thought and she felt relief loosening her tight muscles.

But not entirely. Because she didn’t think she could ever relax completely with Bella’s boyfriend in such close proximity. He had made her feel small and helpless in a way that she had never experienced before. She was thankful that he wasn’t speaking, because she didn’t like the way his voice had affected her. She did _not_ want that awareness of him. Didn’t want any part of herself to feel an attraction to him because he was not who she had chosen for herself.

A small piece of her wondered about the longevity of his relationship with Bella, however, because most young men with not even a _fraction_ of his magnetism were simply unable to stop themselves from partaking in the affections of more than one female. Their immature brains didn’t register things like monogamy when there was variety to be had. And given that fine edge of danger in him, he must be like freaking _catnip_ to the girls who wanted the perfect bad boy.

_But…maybe she was being unfair, too_ , she thought as Charlie reappeared and offered her a hand up off the couch, the requested bottle of wine in the other.

Because as soon as Bella was within reach, that edgy, hair-trigger violence was muted and his body language shifted like he was offering her a gilded invitation to _touch_ him. And _Jesus_ , what an _invitation_ that was, because the male practically bled sex appeal. That instinctive reticence most young men displayed in the face of receiving public affection, as if rejecting it would show their availability despite their committed relationship status, just wasn’t there in him. And touch him Bella did, stroking her hand down his side as she urged him to turn, then across the small of his back towards his hip, a finger hooking absently in his belt-loop as they moved towards the kitchen. His arm dropped down over her slim shoulder, welcoming her into his space with a clear affection that Samantha knew, instinctively and absolutely, no one else would ever receive from him.

She and Charlie followed the younger couple, Bella hurrying to the stove when a timer went off then pulling out what she had put together for them. And oh, dear heaven did that smell good, the spicy/cheesy scent wafting through the room _. That sauce smelled like it could only have been homemade_ she thought as the girl shoo’d her father off to set the table. She had her boyfriend pull out wine glasses from the top shelf and pop the cork on the bottle. The big male just smiled indulgently and let her order him about.

Samantha found herself smiling again as Charlie’s daughter finally gathered her things and stepped in to hug her father, wished him a good night, then turned back to the blonde with a smile of her own. “I hope we get to see each other again soon… _without_ all the craziness,” she said, coming forward to shake Samantha’s hand before she left.

Samantha gently brushed it aside and pulled the girl in to hug her as she had promised herself she would. Bella didn’t hesitate to hug her back and the girl was good at them, squeezing back like she was glad to be there. “Thank you for cooking dinner for us. I really would like to get to spend more time with you in the future. And…thank you for urging Charlie to accept a date,” she added quietly as she pulled back.

The girl just winked at her. “Dad’s happy. You’ve totally got a fan.”

When Samantha looked up, Paul was shrugging into a heavy leather biker jacket before he opened a door that lead to the garage. Bella followed him after snatching up her own jacket and keys. But the older woman found herself fighting to suppress a shudder as she felt the boyfriend’s eyes settle on her for a moment, coolly and impersonally weighing her for what felt like eternity before stepping out the door after Bella.

The muffled sounds of the garage door opening and the deep growl of a large engine came through the closed door as Samantha gravitated towards Charlie while he set the pan of baked ziti atop the table. Her stomach growled as she got closer and Charlie chuckled as he held her chair for her before taking his own.

But instead of immediately serving them, he turned towards her. “I’m really sorry you had to encounter Paul like that. I was hoping that I could sort of _ease_ you into it because he’s really not an easy person to be around until you earn his respect.”

Samantha shook her head. “It really was my fault and a huge misunderstanding. Yeah, it was kind of scary being manhandled that easily, but-”

“Manhandled?!” Charlie cut in. “You didn’t say…Are you okay?” he asked, quickly scanning his eyes over her.

She waved him off, thankful that she hadn’t bruised her hand too badly during the scuffle. She hadn’t even done any damage to her wrist despite how hard she had yanked at it. “He didn’t hurt me. Really! Just disarmed me and…well…contained me.”

She hadn’t even really thought of it until then…the fact that during the entire mess, he hadn’t once retaliated. She honestly wasn’t sure if she was relieved that he hadn’t because the young man was clearly strong and fast as hell, or vaguely insulted that he had either avoided or simply brushed off every blow she had aimed at him. He hadn’t had so much as a bruise to show for any of it on the bare golden skin of his arms.

“Paul is…well…from what I understand from Billy Black…the Chief out on La Push…he didn’t really have all that much to call his own when he was growing up. Was pretty isolated, too. He doesn’t really care for many people, and honestly I’m not sure he even knows _how_ beyond the most basic of companionship. Somehow, though, Bella got through to him. Girl’s got a soft heart and for a long time I was worried that she was going to end up hurt trying to love someone who wasn’t capable of returning it. But he surprised me. If he’s capable of loving even one single thing, he’s picked her. So the very fact that he _didn’t_ hurt you before you were confirmed as no threat to Bella? Please don’t take this the wrong way, but….”

“Just be thankful?” she finished for him. “Yeah. I can totally see that. Can’t even take offense because it’s kind of like the first rule in the boyfriend handbook to protect the girlfriend,” she said, smiling at him in attempt to disarm him. She really didn’t want to dwell any longer on what had or _might_ have happened. On the fact that the young man could likely have _seriously_ hurt her if he’d been in a less tolerant mood. She had fucked up, she knew that, but it looked like neither of the Swans were going to hold it against her. She wasn’t too proud to accept the free pass she had been given.

Purposefully turning away, she once more greedily inhaled the scent wafting from the dish before reaching for the serving spoon and serving herself up a heaping portion. She just barely managed to be polite and wait for Charlie to do the same before she dug in…then groaned. “Oh my God,” she managed to get out around another mouthful. Yeah, that sauce was definitely homemade. So much gooey cheese and spicy tomato and perfectly done pasta. “How do you not get _fat_ living with her?”

Charlie snorted, even as he took another bite. “It’s not easy. I run when I can and the precinct has the weight room. The rest of it is prayer because it would be a mortal sin against your taste-buds not to eat what she cooks. Hell, you should see what she left for dessert,” he said.

Samantha glanced up towards the counter and spied a nine-by-nine tin tucked against the backsplash under the wall-mounted microwave. Lifting a brow, she turned back to her date questioningly.

“Brownies. Homemade, not those boxed things…Ghirardelli chocolate and walnuts. And vanilla ice-cream with hand-whipped cream.”

Samantha ate another bite…considering. Then she narrowed her eyes playfully at the handsome man sitting beside her. “So…how long do you think I will reasonably have to wait before I can convince her to let me adopt her? Because older child adoptions are actually becoming a thing now I understand.”

Charlie laughed.

>}:{<

The worm…freaking… _exploded!_

Soooo _awesome_!

Bella cackled with glee and cheered Val and Earl on as they destroyed the monster, her voice lost amongst her brother’s voices and the various others in the room as they hooted and threw popcorn at the screen.

Yeah, so the special effects _were_ cheesy as hell, but who needed more when you had giant man eating worms and Kevin Bacon? Seriously!

Tucking herself down tighter into Paul’s lap and cuddling under ne of Sam’s blankets, Bella did her best to ignore the slow onset of cramps. It was strange, because she was usually like clockwork, so the fact that her period was coming on days early was irritating as hell. Thankfully, Emily had a good supply of feminine products in the upstairs bathroom so Bella didn’t have to worry about embarrassing herself.

And speaking of Emily, Bella had been highly surprised when the woman in question hadn’t been in company when she had driven up Sam’s driveway. Yeah, she’d been a bit leery of seeing her again after Paul’s bombshell last week, but she’d managed to compartmentalize the anger she felt on Sam’s behalf and the wariness she felt on her own in favor of remembering that the woman had always been amazingly kind and considerate to her. Because while Bella loved her mother and would never even _think_ of allowing anyone to replace her…Emily _had_ filled a maternal role for her despite the narrowness of their age gap.

Sam had been a little more subdued than usual as he let her in, hugging her tightly in greeting though saying little else besides hoping that Pizza was alright for dinner. Strange, because Emily _always_ cooked for Pack gatherings. She had opened her mouth to ask why things had changed, when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Pierce had been standing behind the open fridge door and was blocked from Sam’s sight, apparently having been fetching himself something to drink and then had started to wave at her frantically.

Bella had narrowed her eyes before stepping closer to the Wolf. His face had been uncharacteristically serious as he bent and hugged her before whispering in her ear that Emily was gone. She left the night before with hardly any warning to go visit her parents on the Makah reservation, and hadn’t even bothered to tell Sam when she would be back.

That was the first time since she had met the other woman that she had actually been angry with her. The second time had come mere minutes later as she had walked into the living room and had seen her brother sitting quietly by himself on the corner of his couch. His eyes looked a bit lost, and she could feel the upset shivering along the connection between them.

She’d wanted to go over to try and get him tell her what had happened, to just _talk_ to her, but she didn’t want to drag his personal crap out in front of the others. So she let him simply _be_ with his Pack. Let him take comfort in their presence without forcing him to rehash whatever might have happened to drive his mate out of their home.

The movie finally drew to a close and Leah got up from her seat next to Embry to put in the next one while Sam sent Collin and Brady home to their grandmother. Captain America: The Winter Soldier began with a hilarious bit of Steve Rogers lapping a good natured Sam Wilson. Bella was glad to see the two Wolves seemingly attempting to sort out their double Imprint…at least she _assumed_ they were because Leah was no longer avoiding her little brother. They weren’t huggy/feely with each other, but their body language suggested comfort in the other’s presence.

When the Black Widow showed up on screen in a sexy car, the unpaired males started catcalling. Leah neatly shut them up by saying that such a badass woman was so far out of their league, they might as well be on different planets. Bella buried a smile behind her blanket, because in her opinion, it took one badass to know another.

Charlie might just have found another one, because while Paul hadn’t said much about his little scuffle with Samantha, he _had_ offered up that she wasn’t a bad fighter. For a human.

Bella was also pretty damned sure that he’d known going into that fight that Samantha knew Charlie. Had probably smelled at _least_ traces of her father on the woman. It was also _very_ likely that _that_ was what had kept him from actually hurting her. But knowing her father or not, he wasn’t the type to take chances with her in the house and an intruder holding a gun.

Her stupid uterus gave another gave another dull, aching twinge and Bella shifted uncomfortably, wishing desperately for a bottle of Midol because Sam’s wayward mate had been out. She felt Paul shift as he glanced down at her and inwardly she cringed. Of _course_ he would know she was in pain. He was just _like_ that, and on any different day, she would be all for it. Course, it didn’t help things that her appetite had become strangely non-existent by the time the pizza had actually arrived and he was pretty damned likely to notice _that_ if he had missed anything else. But talking to a guy… _any_ guy…about period cramps kinda freaked her out. She may have mentally teased Charlie about being intimidated by a tampon, but she was honestly worse about _anyone_ with a penis knowing she was bleeding from her stupid vagina…Even if she _was_ in a room full of Werewolves who would probably know about it before _she_ did.

Giving in to the inevitable, she turned her head to look up at him. “Cramps,” she mouthed. His brows drew in thoughtfully before she felt him slide a big, super-warm hand under the waistband of her jeans to settle over her lower belly. For a moment, she actually thought it was just a comfort thing until the heat began seeping into her, bringing a small measure of relief and she sighed as she relaxed into him gratefully. It was just enough to take the edge off and she was able to sit back and enjoy the movie again. She was a bit sad, however, that Tony with his awesome snark hadn’t made an appearance because he was a particular favorite of hers.

It was close to eleven as the movie began to reach its finale and Bella felt her eyelids begin to droop. She was finally warm after having caught a slight chill on the way over and she hadn’t gotten enough real sleep during the week. It all cumulated in a sleepy Bella and she was close to just giving in and napping.

The next thing she knew, she was floating upwards. She guessed she actually _had_ fallen asleep as Macey carefully lifted her from Paul’s arms while the other Were got to his feet and stepped into the kitchen to stack their plates in the sink. She could feel the quiet rumble as the younger male held her and spoke to his twin who had suddenly appeared to his left. They seemed to be having a _very_ serious discussion over who was going to sacrifice their beauty in an attempt to distract Paul and who was going to get to run away and elope with her because she was apparently warm and cuddly like a freaking midget teddy-bear, and _both_ of them were certain that they could find a proper Elvis impersonator even at this hour because you weren’t supposed to elope _without_ one.

Her eyes popped open in shock at their possible levels of insanity even as Sam squawked a protest, demanding that Macey put her down and _both_ of them to not even try it, something that finally sounded like him. Bella just reached up and tightly hugged the two good-hearted idiots because she was pretty sure that _that_ had been their intention all along. Pierce pouted that she was going to accidentally choke him since he was a far more delicate flower than her boyfriend. More handsome too if she felt like trading up, because he was pretty sure that Macey would be willing to share if she was.

She could see the sly glance he cast at the Alpha and desperately smothered a grin as Sam abruptly stood and whisked her away from the two delinquents, a disapproving scowl covering his face. “Damnit, Paul! Come get your girlfriend before I have to kill these two!”

Paul just huffed a quiet laugh as he watched from the doorway, arms crossed as he leaned against the frame.

She felt Jared come up behind her as Sam dragged a hand down his face in exasperation before stomping over to Paul and began lecturing him about how a boyfriend _isn’t_ supposed to _allow_ others to plan their girlfriend’s fake kidnapping. Paul just lifted a brow and smirked in answer, seemingly taking up where his two miscreant followers had left off in provoking Sam…subsequently giving the man something else to do other than to brood over Emily. And she absolutely _loved_ him for it. Leah had actually collapsed sideways against Quil in a fit of giggles, the male Wolf watching the pair with wide eyes and a delighted grin as he ate popcorn like he was simply taking in the after-show.

Shay? He was balled up in the other corner of the sofa opposite where Sam had been sitting...face buried in his arms as his shoulders shook suspiciously. Seth looked torn between awe that someone had actually gotten Sam so riled up over something so clearly not serious, and upset that people were _fighting._

“You are the most goddamn _frustrating_ asshole I’ve ever met!” Sam huffed. “How the fuck do you even _argue_ with me without actually _saying_ a damned word?!”

And there went Embry, his head dropping back on the back of the loveseat, eyes squeezing shut as he laughed helplessly. Jared’s hands landed gently on Bella’s shoulders as he leaned against her, chuckling along with the rest of them as Sam finally ran out of steam and simply glowered at the towering Were who’s own eyes were narrowed in challenge.

“How’s things, Shortness,” Jared asked, amusement still coloring his voice.

“Pretty good,” she responded. “How’s Kim? I had hoped she’d get to come.”

Jared snorted. “She really wanted to see you, too. She missed you. But it was her grandmother’s birthday and they’re pretty close.” He paused. “So. You and Paul, huh?”

There was absolutely no judgement in his tone. Not that she had been expecting it, because Jared could give the Buddha a run for his money in terms of Zen-like cool. “Yeah. It’s…well, I know that my last relationship was pretty much the epitome of ‘what the actual _fuck_ was I thinking’, but…He just…kinda fits the parts of me that needed fitting and lets me be me.”

“Long as you’re happy, that’s what matters,” Jared said, easy confidence and acceptance spilling through their bond and Bella knew damned good and well that she couldn’t’ve had better brothers even if they didn’t actually share blood. “Kim wanted me to ask you if you had time to come hang out with her sometime next weekend.”

She and Kim got along fantastically, but it was the first time the other girl had made an effort to be around her outside of simply visiting with her while Jared was around. “Could you give her my number and tell her to let me know when and where to show up?”

She could almost _feel_ Jared smile. “Sure thing.”

Then he was stepping away from her as he gave her a gentle push towards Paul, who was apparently done pissing Sam off for the night.

Sam just grumpily decided that it was time for everyone to go home, because he had a long-ass day tomorrow and so did a few of the others. But he did hug Bella again as she got ready to go, tucking her into his body as he did so as if taking comfort from the sheer normalcy of the action. And Bella wanted to be mad all over again at Emily for making him doubt for even one second that he wasn’t always welcome. “Love you, big bro,” she whispered to him before pulling away, happy to hear him say it back with a smile on his face.

She saw Leah stepping into her boots and smiled at her, then blinked in shock as Leah stepped over to her and slowly, carefully as if she were touching something made of glass, wrapped her arms about her. It was the first time that Leah had been truly physically affectionate with her, but Bella wasn’t about to let her feel like the action wasn’t welcome and quickly threw her own arms about the taller girl, hugging her as tightly as she had hugged Sam.

When Leah finally pulled back, there was a smile on her gorgeous face and the constant tension of anger/fear/despair in her eyes looked like it was thankfully just a bit less. “It was good to see you, Bella. Everyone missed you while you were away,” she said quietly, because barring the visit with Sam when she had told him about Paul, she hadn’t been out to the rez since before she had left for Florida.

Bella found herself unable to really speak, because for Leah, that was pretty much an admission that she herself had missed her a great deal. She just nodded her thanks and smiled back, thankful that Leah seemed to understand what she was trying to convey, because the taller girl patted her on the shoulder and quietly left the out the back door.

Thankfully, not _one_ of the male Wolves felt the need to comment on Leah’s unusual behavior, because Bella did not want the lone female Wolf to feel the need to build her walls any higher. They were already so high in an effort to protect her vulnerabilities that Bella suspected the other girl was more than just a little lonely. She’d lost her lover to her cousin who had also been her best friend. She’d lost the support of most of her tribe, because they had stood back and endorsed the match because it was supposedly ordained by the gods of her tribe, either forgetting or simply ignoring the fact that she was a human being who couldn’t turn off her hurt and betrayal. She’d lost her identity as a woman to a degree, because she was forced to deal with the fact that as a Wolf, she would not be able to bear children as she wished because her monthly cycle had ended the day she had Phased. There was a chance that even _if_ she actually managed to stop Phasing, it might not begin again because the change to her body chemistry was likely permanent. Her free will had been sacrificed to protect her people and by an Imprint that she still wasn’t sure she could accept simply for the fact that it was foisted on her without her consent, no matter how wonderful the Wolf in question. Her trust had been methodically broken by nearly everyone she held dear and still she stood so damned strong that Bella could scarcely fathom it.

The younger girl wished like crazy that she dared try and tell the female Wolf just how amazing she thought she was because, yeah, she was pretty much in awe of her, but she knew that Leah likely would not be able to hear it because she was still so shattered. So Bella simply counted herself lucky that she mattered to the other girl.

Later, after Paul had driven them home when Bella’s cramping had intensified, she lay tucked into the curve of the Were’s body under her giant puffy comforter. The chill had also come back as she had lain on the bench seat, her head on Paul’s knee as he dragged his fingers slowly through her hair. The cramps were actually _bad_ this time where they had been only vaguely irritating in the past and she wondered if part of the reason for that was her earlier-than-usual period. She was actually hoping she’d just start _bleeding_ already despite the irritation and yuck-factor.

Paul’s hand flexed gently against her belly before rubbing slowly from one hip to the other as Bella did her best to simply _pretend_ she wasn’t as uncomfortable as she was. “You have to leave at six, right?”

“Yeah. Sam’s been getting a weird feeling the last few days. Can’t explain it, but would rather be proven paranoid than wrong.”

“No one’s smelled Vampires?” Bella asked, a frisson of worry shooting down her spine.

“No. No nomads, no Cullens.”

She closed her eyes in relief. She might deeply miss the Cullens, but their company would come at too high a price when Edward was part of the bargain.

As if he’d sensed the direction of her thoughts, Paul simply pulled her in tighter as if he could block out her fears with his presence alone. Bella was pretty sure not even Edward was arrogant enough to think he could waltz his way around _this_ Were, so his unspoken promise of protection was a damned effective deterrent for her worries.

“Should get some sleep,” he finally murmured. “Sam’s had a lot on his mind lately. Entirely possible it really is just paranoia on his part.”

“Sam really needs a break,” Bella responded right before a yawn split her face. With her worry over Edward having been assuaged, she could finally feel her mind begin to slow down in anticipation of sleep. The gentle belly-rub was also helping to relax her even as her chill retreated in the face of a Were with a core temp of a hundred and twelve.

“Yeah…likely does,” was the last thing she heard before she finally slipped under.

>}:{<


	31. Superman - Lazlo Bane

For the record, the day had already reached a yellow on the scale of pure misery and she had yet to even pull into the Forks High parking lot.

Bella absolutely _hated_ being sick.

Yesterday, she had woken up at the ungodly hour of noon with a low-grade fever. It was strange for her to sleep in so late, but even _with_ the extra sleep, she still felt off. No appetite at all with a headache and eventually a backache, though that last might have been induced by how long she had sat on the sofa buried under her comforter without moving as she marathon’d Law and Order: SVU. So what if she was a cop’s daughter and Charlie was deeply disgusted by the screw ups in procedure and plot lines, it was still an awesome show. Her dad had kept her company anyway after he had gotten home from visiting Harry, sitting next to her as she laid her head on his thigh while he ran his fingers through her hair to help her relax.

But the part that really bothered her about the whole thing? The bleeding that she had anticipated had yet to start, the cramps steadily getting worse as the day turned into evening, then night. She was really starting to worry about what was going on with her uterus, because the pain was beginning to make her want to cry.

She’d thought all of that was bad enough…but this morning was pure hell.

The stomach pain had gotten so bad during the night that she was nauseous and dizzy. The dizziness had actually caused her to stumble over that loose board in her bedroom floor when she had gotten up to shower and dress. She had fallen, bruising her knee when she hit the floor and her shoulder when it slammed against the wooden bed frame before she could catch herself. Both still throbbed despite how long it had been since it happened and she was careful as she pulled Bess to a stop in an empty parking spot because both injuries felt stiff.

Angela was waiting for her just inside the building and Bella could tell immediately when she caught sight of her because her eyebrows lifted in surprise, her eyes widening behind her glasses. Because, yeah…Bella was pretty aware of the fact that she looked like pounded crap. She was pasty white with flushed cheeks, her eyes a bit glassy because her fever had also risen.

She had been very tempted to have her dad call her in sick, but she had papers to turn in and she had absolutely promised her science teacher that she would bring in her part of the project she had been assigned the week before. They had been very lenient towards her last year when she had had her Edward-induced meltdown and she didn’t want to pay them back by skating by when she could do so much better.

Now she wished she had had Charlie call in after all, because yellow had suddenly become red in terms of how she felt.

“Bella…I think you should go see the nurse before class.” Angela’s voice was worried.

Bella shook her head and managed a smile. “I’m already here and I will see if Sue over on the rez can fit me in after school. It’s just a bad cold and cramps from hell. I’m fine…really!?

Only, getting through first period was a great deal harder than she had thought it would be. Her stomach wound itself into a tighter knot of agony with every minute that passed by. Her head was throbbing and she was absolutely freezing. She knew at this point she was being stupidly stubborn, but for some reason she didn’t want give in and just go home…where she would be alone anyway, because Charlie was supposed to be going out with Samantha again this evening after they got off work.

Now, Mrs. Walters was slowly walking through the isles, picking up the English papers that were due after the students had gotten settled in their seats. She was actually one of Bella’s favorite teachers because she was smart and funny and quick with a lighthearted joke.

She also didn’t let much get by her. She paused behind Bella and before placing a hastily scribbled upon sticky-note on the desk in front of the sick girl, with a squeeze of her shoulder before continuing on her way. Bella picked it up, glancing over the note.

_Let me know if you need to go home._

Thankful that Mrs. Walters wasn’t going to make a fuss and put her in the spotlight, Bella did her best to focus on what was being said. The teacher had pulled the blinds and put on the projector, the dimness actually a bit of a relief because of her pounding headache. She managed to keep up with class for a while, scribbling notes and turning pages in the textbook when indicated. Unfortunately, the book jostled her pencil and it rolled off the table before she could grab it. Cursing quietly to herself, Bella carefully bent sideways to see where it landed…then regretted it. Because finding it was suddenly not the problem. Finding _which one_ it actually was was now the issue as the pencil was slowly multiplying from two…to four...and then more still. She blinked, confused as everything went blurry before fading into total darkness.

Angela had been keeping an eye on her friend ever since they had sat down, thoroughly unconvinced by Bella’s protestations that she was fine, and so was thankfully on guard when Bella suddenly pitched sideways. She managed to get her arms around her friend while planting her feet securely on the floor, keeping Bella from landing on her head. And she was pretty much terrified when Bella lolled limply in her arms, clearly unconscious. “Mrs. Walters!” she yelled, hearing the frantic edge in her own voice.

Every head turned towards the pair at the back of the room, the teacher squinting into the darkness in surprise. “Oh dear Lord,” the woman exclaimed even as she hurried forward, helping Angela to balance the other girl. “Someone get the lights!” she snapped as she lightly patted Bella’s cheek.

Light flooded the room and Angela blinked, then focused on the girl she held.

“Bella, honey, can you hear me?” Mrs. Walters asked, her voice slightly raised as she tried to rouse her student. The other teenages had drifted closer, crowding into a circle around them as they watched, whispering worriedly to each other.

Bella didn’t so much as twitch. Angela could feel panic begin to boil up but forced it back, concentrating on holding Bella up.

“Mike! Call the nurse,” the older woman demanded, pointing blindly towards her desk as she and Angela got Bella safely onto the floor. Angela could hear feet hurrying across the wooden floor, even as Mrs. Walters laid her hand over Bella’s forehead, grimacing at the temperature. “Way too high,” she muttered to herself, pulling at the zipper of Bella’s fleece-lined hoody.

“No answer,” Mike called, voice cracking in nervousness.

“Shit,” Mrs. Walters muttered uncharacteristically, because the woman _never_ cussed. She gave Bella a hard shake. “ _Bella!”_

Still nothing. The teacher turned, glancing over her students before settling on Cody Clark. The big blond Texan was nearly as tall as Bella’s rez friends at six foot four, built like a tank, and was the absolute pride and joy of their football coach. Mrs. Walters waved him closer and he nodded, carefully stepping around the prone girl. He knelt down and gently pulled a limp arm up around his neck, then curled his arms under her body. Then he was lifting her from the floor, bouncing her upward once to get her settled more securely before turning and jogging towards the door.

“C’mon, sweetheart, let’s go take care’a you,” Angela heard him say quietly, as if he were just completely incapable of _not_ trying to comfort the girl despite her being unconscious. Cody had always been a good sort, Angela thought absently as Mrs. Walters hurried after him. And for a moment Angela wasn’t terribly sure what to do. It was all so crazy and she was worried sick and freaking out and…no. Just no. She ran out the door after them, because Bella was her best friend and like _hell_ she wasn’t going to stick with her as long as she could.

She caught up to the others quickly, Cody moving faster than she would had believed given that he was carrying another human being. She saw the other woman glance up at her in surprise as she came even with her. But, if for one moment Mrs. Walters thought of sending her back to class, Angela suspected that one look at her face had changed her mind because she wasn’t about to go. Bella wasn’t the only one who could be stubborn as a mule.

>}:{<

Charlie yawned as he read through the stack of the previous week’s reports and reached for his cup of coffee, disappointed to find it empty. Sighing and deciding that he really needed to cut back, he initialed another report before starting on the next one. Then chuckled out loud, because apparently one of his guys had taken a call from Thomas Blake about a stolen shotgun.

He was just starting the last report when Detective Wilder came into his office at a dead run. Now, Charlie wasn’t really a stickler for formality, but normally the guys at least knocked before they came in.

“Line three,” the young man said quickly. “Principal Mathews calling from the high school.”

Charlie felt every bit of amusement drain faster than the blood did from his face as he yanked the phone out of its cradle. “This is Charlie Swan.”

“Chief Swan, this is Rick Mathews. I’m calling because your daughter Bella has apparently come down with something that caused her to faint in class.” The man on the line sounded very concerned as he spoke, putting Charlie further on edge. “She was taken to the nurse’s office where Nurse Myers tried to rouse her. She had a high fever and according to a friend of hers she had been complaining of severe stomach cramps.”

Charlie closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. “Is she conscious yet? Can I talk to her?”

“Nurse Myers was initially unable to wake her and was concerned over her high temperature and blood pressure so he called for an ambulance. She finally did come round after she was strapped onto the gurney and…” the man hesitated, then pushed on. “I’m truly sorry but when she was told that she was being transported to the hospital, she became highly agitated and they were forced to restrain her for her own safety.”

Charlie bit out a foul curse as he reached blindly for his jacket and keys as he shoved his seat backwards, getting to his feet in a rush.

“Chief Swan?”

“Yeah, yeah, still here,” Charlie said as he unlocked his desk drawer and pulled out his Sig, shoving it into his shoulder holster.

“She repeatedly asked for someone as they were wheeling her out. A Paul?”

Charlie went cold. Because if Bella was afraid and asking for the Were then there was something going on. She’d never been afraid of the hospital in the past, had never fought people trying to help her and in fact knew many of EMTs by name because she’d become so familiar with them over the years. “I’ll take care of it. Thank you for calling.”

“Anytime. Please give her our best wishes,” the principal said, then hung up.

Charlie tossed the handset in the general direction of his desk and bolted out the door, ignoring the looks of confusion on the faces of everyone he passed. He took the stairs three at a time before bursting out the front door and towards the squad car. He reached into the chest pocket of his jacket as he angled into the car and quickly dialed up the number on the card Bella had given him a week ago before he stabbed the key into the ignition. Charlie waited tensely while the call connected even as he peeled out of the parking lot, the siren blaring.

“This is Haven. How may I help you?” The voice coming across the line was polite but cool.

“This is Charlie Swan, Bella’s father.”

Haven’s voice was a bit warmer after that. Friendlier. “Ah. Chief Swan. I’d been wondering when I might hear from you. Though…I take it from the sound of the siren that this is not a social call?”

“I…Bella’s on her way to the hospital. Don’t know what’s wrong yet, but she passed out in class and they called an ambulance.”

Just like that the easiness melted from the other man’s tone to be replaced with a sharply focused intensity that somehow did far more to put Charlie at ease than he might have guessed would be possible under the circumstances. “That girl is very dear to me. Whatever you need. Ask.”

“The principal at her school told me that she was asking for Paul. Don’t know why I never thought to get his number before, but...”

There was a scrape of wood, as if a chair had gotten shoved back. Charlie suspected that Haven had pulled the phone away from his ear, because the next thing he heard was a truly impressive bellow as Paul’s boss shouted for someone named Cage. There was the sound of running feet, then Haven giving the man the instruction to go fetch Paul and get him there immediately. Then the other man came back on the line. “I will have him there as soon as possible.”

“Thank you,” Charlie said as he pulled around and then passed an old, slow-moving station wagon. His phone vibrated in his hand, signaling an incoming call. “I have to go…got another call.”

“Please do call me anytime when you have more information on Bella’s situation,” the Englishman said before he hung up, allowing Charlie to accept the incoming call.

“Hey Sam.”

“Charlie. What happened to Bella?” The Alpha Wolf’s demand was gruff with worry, and to be honest Charlie had been expecting this call from the very moment he had been told that Bella was sick enough to warrant medical assistance.

“She came down with a bug yesterday that apparently progressed to the point that she fainted in class. She is on her way to the hospital right now and conscious, but…for some reason she’s scared. When the EMTs told her they were taking her to the hospital, she started fighting them and started asking for Paul.”

“Jesus,” Sam grated out. “I could tell something was off early this morning. Got distracted. There was.fuck, Charlie…it was a Vampire. But it was a really messed up one. Still smelled pretty much human, so we’re guessing it was freshly turned. But it was completely feral. Jared found it wandering out along the western border. He and the Roark twins ran it down and killed it before calling in the rest of us. It did carry faint traces of scent matching the redhead, so we followed the tracks for fifty miles or so but couldn’t find anything to indicate it wasn’t alone. We alerted the Elders, but none of them had ever heard of a Vampire like this one…it was stronger and faster than the other two but it didn’t appear to be capable of basic reasoning.”

“Do you think it might have been there because of Bella?” Because the last Charlie had heard about any Vampires in the area, it had been that obsessive bitch after his girl.

“Honestly…no way to know for certain, though I am leaning towards not. There were no tracks or scents by your house. That was the next thing we checked. And my opinion is that not even the Vampire was terribly clear about where it was. All three Wolves showed me the entire encounter and I couldn’t see anything that would indicate the ability to focus on a target beyond its next meal.” Sam blew out a gusty sigh. “Does Paul know about Bella?”

“Probably does by now. Had to call his boss since I didn’t have his number.”

“Oh crap… You almost to the hospital? Cause I can’t really see him playing nice with the staff if they try to keep him away from her for not being a blood relation.”

“Precinct’s closer to the hospital than the club is so I will hopefully have time to settle this before he gets there.” _Please, God, don’t let the kid lose it bad enough that he Phases and runs his ass there._ The thought raced through his head as Charlie heard the sound of a heavy truck door slamming and then a massive engine growling to life. “You on your way?”

“Yeah…me and her brothers…Kim insisted as well. But…goddamnit, Quil _and_ the Roark twins have been acting like the most incredible _shitheads_ all morning since Bella began feeling so badly and I’m pretty damned sure that all _three_ of the idiots are gonna Imprint on her the moment they see her. I’m really sorry, I did try to make them stay behind because Bella doesn’t need a three ring circus there with her. But Quil threatened to take a chainsaw to the truck if I left without him, and in all fairness, Imprints trump Alpha Orders every time, so…” Sam sounded resigned at this point.

“She will be happy to see them after they get her fixed up.” Because Charlie couldn’t even bear the thought that something might be seriously wrong with her. He wouldn’t fucking allow it, not after all she went through to get to where she was now. Happy and stable with a family she loved to pieces and who would move mountains for her in return, and a boyfriend who pretty much treated her like she was the center of his whole universe.

Whipping a hard right into the driveway of the hospital, he shamelessly parking right next to the entrance. “Gotta go. I’m here.” He didn’t wait for the other man to answer him as he disconnected the call before shoving his things into his pockets and running for the doors.

Then he was cursing wildly in his head, because he’d been so very mistaken.

>}:{<

It was funny how often human beings denied the fact that, by their very natures, they were nothing more than animals. Claimed that their intellect and a tiny little genetic mutation such as the evolution of opposable thumbs set them apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. And yet instinct remained. In this case, it was the instinct of all good prey to carefully keep a wary eye on the predator as it paced in front of them. Restless…enraged…and only moments from snapping its tether.

The predator in question was slowly stalking through the empty space in the center of the room, and Charlie noted that his eyes never left the woman sitting nervously behind the glass at the nurse’s station…rather like a wild cat who had treed it’s next meal and was simply waiting for the opportune time to claw its way up after it. He was scarcely bothering to pretend he was human at that point, because every movement of his body was strangely hypnotic and unnaturally fluid. Men that big just did not move that way naturally…as if the jaguar that he resembled truly lived under his golden skin. His pale eyes were glowing in a way that made Charlie very nervous despite the stillness of his face, because somehow that was even worse than if he had been snarling at the nurse.

The cop was also pretty much sure that if he didn’t get the male sorted out soon, Paul was going to stop giving any kinds of fucks and go through the glass after the woman. He’d never actively started a brawl with a female before, seeming to prefer males when he felt the urge to beat the shit out of someone, but Charlie wouldn’t put it past him if one got between him and Bella.

Yeah, he was freaked as all hell for his kid, but she was in the best hands she could be in and having a homicidal Were loose in a hospital was just all kinds of bad.

Charlie honestly did not even dare to touch him at that point because Paul wasn’t likely to react kindly to it. You did not put your hands on a predator of his caliber and expect to keep your arms attached. He knew that the male was well aware of his presence, because it wasn’t really possible to sneak up on him, so he stepped carefully in front of him, waiting till Paul pulled that unnerving focus from the target of his ire.

When the Were simply cocked his head at him, Charlie knew that was the best he was going to get in terms of polite communication. “What happened?”

Paul just glanced at him coldly before his head suddenly whipped towards the steel reinforced doors. And just when Charlie thought it could not get any worse…it did. Paul’s black-shaded lip curled up into a wicked animal snarl, baring fangs that looked fully capable of ripping right through anyone stupid enough to stop him. “She’s calling for me,” he growled, his voice so low that the other man could scarcely hear him. He stopped pacing….stopped moving…that chilling gaze moving back to the nurse that Charlie suddenly understood must have barred the male from getting to Bella. He had no doubt that Paul could likely hear the fear in Bella’s voice as well, something that was pretty much guaranteed to send him crashing over the edge of the control he didn’t have much of to begin with.

“Come with me,” Charlie said as he stepped towards the nurse’s station, deciding that it was far better for everyone concerned to just get Bella’s boyfriend back to her before he tore up the waiting room and everyone in it.

He could see the woman’s eyes widening as they approached, noted the nervous twitch of her hands as she set her pen down on the stack of papers in front of her. And yeah, Charlie felt bad for her, because it was absolutely terrifying to have Paul watch you like he was going to gut you if you so much as breathed wrong. She swallowed…hard…before she forcibly pulled her eyes from the Were and turned towards his companion. “Can I help you, sir?”

He pulled out his wallet to show her his ID. “Charlie Swan. My daughter, Bella, was brought in?”

The woman’s eyes jerked back to Paul for a moment as if unable to help herself, before returning her focus to Charlie. “The EMTs just brought her in a few minutes ago. If you want to go on back, I can buzz you through?”

Charlie nodded, then gestured for Paul to follow him, when the nurse called out. “Only you, Mr. Swan. You are her father, so I can authorize you, but your…friend…needs to wait out here.”

Charlie narrowed his eyes. “I was told she got anxious when she was strapped to the gurney before being brought in. That she needed to be restrained for her own safety. She’s gonna want to see him.”

He could actually feel the air growing chilly at his back as Paul silently watched the proceedings. Like he had somehow sucked all the warmth from the air around them. “Look, Mr. Swan. I really _am_ very sorry, but I cannot allow entrance to a person who may be a disruptive influence on a girl who is already in a highly agitated state. Now, hopefully _you_ can get her to relax because she’s being very uncooperative and will not calm down long enough for the staff to determine what might be wrong with her. They would have sedated her, but her records indicated that she is allergic to Benzos so we are having an alternative delivered.”

She honestly looked a bit ill to be saying it, because that meant that she would be stuck out there with the threatening man. Charlie suspected that she might have called security on him already if he had actually done anything more than watch her and pace, because how do you explain how it feels to be watched like you’re prey? “I was told that she was calling for Paul when she was put into the ambulance. _This_ is Paul. He will probably be able to calm her down.”

The woman once more shook her head. “I’m very sorry, but I cannot let him through. I understand that she may want him there, but you are going to have to do your best without him. If he caused a scene it could mean my job.”

Charlie glanced back at Paul. And yeah, he really didn’t look like some well-heeled young man right then. He honestly looked like he belonged in a Goth club with his black lips and the artful black lines emphasizing his glittering eyes into a boldly feline cant. The steel bars and rivets on the long-sleeved black shirt that formed a decorative skeleton across his broad torso and the black cargo pants with blunt steel spikes around the cuffs and the heavy steel belt buckle…the steel-belted biker boots. Shaking his head, he turned back to the nurse before stepping closer and looming over her in a way that he usually tended to avoid if he could help it, because he did not agree with intimidating women. But she was making it damned hard to avoid a mess. “It’s _Chief_ Swan, Nurse…” he glanced down at her name tag. “Grace. And the very best way to avoid that scene is to _let him go back_. Now. I am her father, and I am giving _my_ permission for him to be with my daughter, who you have informed me you are intending to _drug_ because she will not calm down without him. I am also vouching for him as Chief of Police. If he causes a scene back there _I will take care of it._ ”

He could feel Paul stepping closer and watched the woman pale a bit, because he knew damned well that Paul was probably staring her down and it would take far more than she, even with a backbone of solid steel, to meet those eyes when he was in a mood. But he couldn’t even regret it because she finally reluctantly nodded and pressed the button to buzz them through. And before she could even stand up to lead them back, Paul simply moved past her, unerringly following the sounds of Bella’s voice through the winding maze of halls.

Nurse Grace led Charlie as she followed after the towering male as best she could, because Paul was moving way too damned fast for her to keep stride with him, already protesting the speed of his long-legged prowl. Bella’s voice was growing louder as they neared her and Charlie could hear the panic in it. He absolutely _hated_ the fact that she was clearly sobbing while other voices talked over her, trying to talk her into relaxing and letting them work. Then Paul rounded a corner, disappearing from sight.

The other voices lifted in volume as they protested his sudden intrusion and one of them called for security over the muffled sound a body hitting a wall. But Bella’s voice? It had suddenly gone quiet. And when Charlie and Nurse Grace turned down the last corridor, it was to see Paul bent over the girl’s gurney, cheek pressed against hers while apparently whispering to her. He gently brushed a wayward curl from her sweaty forehead as she attempted to calm her breathing, clearly exhausted from fighting. Whatever he had said to her had her relaxing back against the sheet, her flushed face losing its terrified grimace and her glassy, tear-reddened eyes closing as her boyfriend pressed his black lips to her cheek, leaving an imprint behind.

After one last murmur to the sick girl, Paul’s eyes met those of the closest attendant and his lips curled into a faint, challenging sneer as he reached down and freed Bella’s arms from the restraints. She immediately reached for one of his hands, clutching it tightly in both of her own.

Charlie had no damned idea what had set her off so badly, but he was beyond glad that just having Paul near her had settled her down. Of course, since most people were rightly terrified of Paul, it made a great deal of sense that just knowing he was nearby would likely make her feel safer.

The doctor seemingly in charge of the team seemed to have reached a similar conclusion as to Paul’s necessity, because when security showed up, he waved them off before turning to Charlie. He introduced himself as Dr. Holbrook while quickly and efficiently directing the rest of his people in getting Bella looked at now that she was no longer fighting them. Not one of them disturbed Paul as they moved about, clearly uneasy around him but professional enough to get the job done, though the one Paul must have shoved out of his way was a little more careful than the others. When another palpated Bella’s lower stomach causing her to cry out in pain, the nurse was treated to those winter-chill eyes and he suddenly had a great deal of respect for the way a mouse feels under the eye of an hungry cat.

“Your daughter has a high fever, nausea, a headache, dizziness and stomach pain. We will need to give her a CT scan to be certain, but these are pretty classic symptoms of acute appendicitis,” Dr. Holbrook stated as he dismissed Nurse Grace. “How long has she had these symptoms?”

“She said what she thought to be cramps started Saturday night. The other stuff began showing up yesterday. She doesn’t really like talking about girl stuff, but she did tell me she thought that her period had just come early.” Charlie answered.

The other man raised a graying brow. “Pain like this is a great deal more severe than a menstrual cramp,” he said doubtfully.

Charlie sighed. “She’s also stubborn as all hell. Once she got it into her head that it was period cramps, it would likely have taken nothing _short_ of this to change her mind.”

The older man shook his head with a wry laugh. “Regardless, we need to get that scan done. Would you like to keep an eye on her from the observation booth?”

Charlie nodded, grateful because he really didn’t want to leave her. He turned to watch as one of the three nurses attending Bella departed, another unlocking the breaks on the wheels of the gurney before she and her partner began to slowly roll Bella down the hall, the girl still clinging tightly to her Were’s hand. Paul allowed her to lead him along though it was clear that he was dangerously hair-trigger, wary as he stepped silently down the hallways like an animal that had sensed a threat but had yet to lay eyes on it…a wild thing territorial over his sick mate and clearly hunting what had dared frighten her.  

Charlie wanted desperately to ask the male if he had sensed anything, especially after Sam’s so very unwelcome news about the stray Vampire, but there was no way to have that conversation right then without being overheard. He had no desire to be hauled off to the psyche ward just then…

Then the small group was piling into the room with the scanning machine, techs moving this way and that to set up the gigantic thing. And Charlie didn’t like the way Bella looked so small amongst all the medical equipment. He watched as she was coaxed into standing, a female nurse standing by her with a ready arm for steadying her and an armful of scrubs for her to change into as she was lead towards the bathroom, though not before she asked Paul to promise not to leave without her. Watched as the big male nodded, eyes never leaving her as she stepped into the small side room and the door was shut. The older man absolutely hated the way that she clearly felt so vulnerable in a place that was created for healing.

It wasn’t long before she was back and then being helped onto the platform that would slide into the big, loop-shaped machine. Another tech wheeled an IV stand into the room full of the contrast dye they would use to get a better image of the possible infection. Bella seemed to calm somewhat as Paul once more settled in beside her, kneeling on the floor and letting her cling to his hand as he continued to whisper to her while the needle was inserted and taped into her other arm.

It was only after the staff got everything in place for Bella’s scan that things seemed to unravel yet again. Because now the technicians were asking Paul to leave the room and the Were’s body language stated quite clearly that they were going to have to just fuck right the hell off on that topic cause he wasn’t going anywhere. Not with the way Bella’s eyes widened with unease as she watched strangers attempt to force Paul away from her.

“Please, sir. We need you to exit the room while we scan your friend.” It wasn’t hard to see the way she tried to look him in the eyes in an effort to assert her dominance…or the way she flinched when he let her. The way his lips tipped upward into a mockery of a smile that was clearly not friendly. The way that even an uninitiated human instinctively dared not try and touch him in an effort to herd him from the room. But Charlie had to give her credit when she tried again. “We need to scan her as quickly as possible so as to get a definitive prognosis, and you are delaying that. Please. Let us do our jobs.”

Shit. You can’t guilt someone who wasn’t capable of feeling it, and the attempt wasn’t likely to endear her to him. One broad shoulder rolled in a careless shrug. “I promised her.”

“The metal on your clothing might distort the images,” she tried, one last ditch effort to get him to leave. And while true enough, it was also pretty clear that she just plain did not want Paul near her because he was goddamn terrifying and doing nothing to mitigate it. “We need clear shots so as to determine the best way to help her.”

Paul let go of Bella’s hand, and for a moment, Charlie wondered if he might actually step from the room despite his promise to the girl. A slow, measured step took him closer to the tech, who despite herself backed up. Then she retreated again as he moved closer still, head cocked to the side as if considering her. There was no overt threat in his movements, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that he was intentionally crowding her backwards. Away from his girl.

One big hand reached back over his shoulder and fisted into the tight black knit before tugging the shirt up and over his head and then dropping it to the floor, his cold gaze narrowed challengingly on the woman who couldn’t help the widening of her own eyes. The way she fidgeted as he stepped out of the heavy boots. Or the way she, despite how many times she must have seen naked people in her line of work, blushed fuchsia when he oh so fucking casually pulled open his belt and stripped down, because yeah the bastard wasn’t the type to bother with anything as human as modesty as he smirked at the poor dazed woman, completely at ease in his bare skin. Brazenly nude, he turned his back on her, dismissing her from both sight and mind as insignificant before returning to Bella, who comically had her hand up over her eyes.  

And if Charlie had held any doubts whatsoever about Paul’s commitment to his daughter, that right there would have been the end of it. Because Paul had never made any attempt to hide just how much he despised pretty much everyone he came into contact with. Hated the way they watched him with naked lust and sly intentions of getting closer to something so far beyond their reach or even basic understanding. Reviled them for the way that they wanted to have sex with him while being absolutely petrified of him. That he would strip himself to the skin in front of strangers in what was really an epically executed _fuck you_ just to keep his word to Bella pretty much decided Charlie on the fact that, yeah…Paul was a permanent fixture in the girl’s life.

Because nothing else mattered to him. Not his Pack, his job, his calling as a protector for his tribe…not even the tech who was completely incapable of taking her eyes off him even as she bent and scooped up his discarded clothing and turned to take them out of the room, stumbling into the doorframe as she reached blindly for the knob in her attempt to escape. And Charlie could not have said whether it was from helpless attraction to a male who would never see her as anything but an irritation at best, or from unease, because one did not turn their back on something like him. The Were was something that most would never understand, because the general human population either wanted to fight him, fuck him, or hide from him before he killed them. Sometimes it was more than one…and for the truly unlucky it was all three.

Paul knelt next to Bella as one of the two remaining techs silently handed him a lead apron, eyes anywhere but on the big male because she at least seemed to have enough sense to not to want his attention on her. The other pressed the button that slid the platform Bella lay upon forward into the scanner, occasionally glancing at the young man because he was seriously a sight to see. Then both women hurried out the door.

>}:{<

For some reason, it was only as the two women stepped towards the door that Bella was finally able to relax. It was strange, but from the very second she had been informed of her destination by the EMTs as they had lifted her into the back of the ambulance, all she could think of was that the last time she had been in a hospital…hell, the very last time she had been in _this_ hospital in fact, the Cullens had still been about. Edward had already begun to invade her space, even if at the time, she had truly believed that she wanted it.

_That she had actually found it romantic when he had told her that he had **watched** her while she was sleeping and unaware now absolutely disgusted her. Cause stalking was seriously unsexy, people! _

Her fear of Edward’s return had been swiftly compounded by the pain in her body, the growing panic of an attack that the EMTs had not really done anything for because she could not tell them what she was truly terrified _of_ without them thinking that she was simply delirious…which she kind of was. They had tried to talk her down, but it did no good and being strapped down, even if it was for her own safety as she had tried to get up and leave more than once, had not helped alleviate the sense of trapped helplessness she had felt. That Paul wasn’t there to reassure her of Edward’s continuing absence had also absolutely terrified her in her growing agitation and fuzzy-headedness, because again for some reason her mind had locked on Sam’s previously mentioned agitation as something that she needed to fear.

She’d never had a panic attack so severe before and the lack of control she felt over her own body and emotions had sent her completely spiraling out of bounds.

When she had finally caught sight of her Were stalking down the hallway towards her like some kind of demonic guardian angel, everything whirling about inside her head had suddenly gone still with heart-stopping relief.

Suddenly, she could breathe again. Her lungs had no longer felt like they were encased in half-dried cement as he had bent over her, blocking out her view of the institutional-white of the walls and ceiling that had felt like they were trying to close in on her with the width of his shoulders and the unearthly beauty of his face. His hand had slid up behind her neck to cradle the back of her head so that she could bury her hot face against his throat, trying to stop herself from hiccupping because it hurt her stomach.

It had taken her a few moments to be able to process the words he had been murmuring to her, but she had finally been able to answer that she was afraid of Edward being there. That he would somehow know that she was sick and appear. She couldn’t have said that she was afraid that he would physically harm her, at least when he was in his right mind, but she had developed a healthy fear of the way he had controlled her ‘for her own good’. Hated the way she had let him steamroll her wishes and opinions because he supposedly knew better than she did about everything. The way she had eventually stopped even _thinking_ of rebelling against him out of her fear of displeasing him.

But Paul?

He didn’t blow off or laugh at her fear. Didn’t pretend that everything was fine. He’d gone very still for a moment or two, his attention focused outward even as his fingers gently dug into the base of her skull to help her relax. Then he was whispering to her again, telling her that there were no Vampires in the vicinity…no Cullens…and especially no Edward.

He had carefully lowered her head back to the gurney and pressed his cheek to hers, his fingers brushing over her forehead as he whispered that he wasn’t going anywhere until he knew she was safe. And she knew that that was as good as a promise because he wouldn’t have ever left her in danger even _before_ he had let her into his life. She had finally felt able to relax as he stood next to her, her eyes closing, then her hands being freed. She had reached out blindly towards him and he had let her have one of his hands, let her clutch it tightly as the others that had been hovering over her and trying to talk her into calming down went about poking and prodding and determining things. And he had stayed by her side as they had wheeled her down the hall towards the CT scanner because she apparently had appendicitis.

_Really, Bella?_

Fuck, she could have kicked herself for her own stubborn foolishness, because even she knew how dangerous that could be if her appendix actually ruptured. Granted she had not been thinking all that clearly since she had gone to sleep Saturday night, but still…ignoring signs that things were worse than she wanted them to be out of pure bullheadedness was just…stupid.

It was as the door clicked into the frame when the last two techs left the room that Bella realized that Paul was chuckling quietly.

The sound was entirely welcome after the previous stress and she turned her head slowly to the side, her own lips tipping up at the corners. “Wha’s funny?” she asked in a voice just a bit slurred by exhaustion.

Paul glanced at her, amusement coloring his low tone, “Well….according to the blonde that just left…you have to be the luckiest girl in the world.”

Bella managed a tired laugh. But despite how pretty he was…how utterly amazing he looked naked(even from behind because she had covered her eyes before he had turned around and _seriously_ …that ass was pretty much God’s gift to anyone inclined to like males)…her eyes never left his when she said, “Kind of already knew that.”

He always seemed to just... _understand_ her, somehow. And right then was no different as those exotic, mercurial eyes narrowed on her, head cocked to the side as his black lips curved upwards. He reached over and gently traced the slope of her cheek downwards then over to skim off the point of her chin as his thumb brushed across her lower lip. He didn’t have to say the words back, because even with her mind going fuzzy, she could feel his intent though his touch.

She heard the technician in the observation room tell her to lie still as the scanner hummed to life, then slowly begin clicking as it took images. And it wasn’t long after that the sound slowly began to lull her to sleep. Which was a relief because other than the time she had spent passed out at school, everything had been pretty much a misery.

Seeing her father’s face had helped somewhat because she was a daddy’s girl at heart. And a part of her wanted to be ashamed that Charlie’s presence had not managed to calm her fears like Paul’s had because she loved her father dearly…but she knew in her head that as capable and protective as Charlie Swan was, Paul was simply far better equipped and just straight-up geared toward tearing his way through any threat that might rear its head. It still didn’t do much to mitigate her sense of disloyalty and she knew that she would likely be trying to make it up to him after all was said and done. Even if he didn’t feel that she needed to…Charlie just wasn’t petty that way.

Bella exhaled slowly…and let herself drift.

>}:{<

It was full dark outside when she finally became fully aware again.

The room was dimly illuminated by the moonlight from the window and the faint light through the shades from the outside corridor. There was a faint, occasional beeping from one of the machines she had been hooked up to, something that she hoped she would learn to tune out because she could easily see it driving her bat-shit crazy soon if she couldn’t.

She only had vague flashes of time since the CT scan had been completed. Of the doctor telling Charlie that she did, indeed, have appendicitis…that it looked like her appendix was close to bursting. She remembered giving her consent to the laparoscopic appendectomy and someone changing the bag attached to the IV still in her arm. And she remembered being rolled down the hallway into the room she was in now, Paul on one side and her father on the other. More darkness…then Sam and her brothers. Kim, her eyes wide and nervous as she stood by her mate, then smiling as Bella welcomed her in. Losing the last of her energy in the rush of three new Imprints and the utter happiness she felt to be connected to more of her friends, though the twins had expressed sadness over the fact that it was wrong to date one’s sibling because allowances should be made for a sister as pretty as Bella. Sam had just sighed in disgust, bent to press his lips to Bella’s forehead, then he was herding everyone from the room to let her rest.

Charlie had settled into a chair across the room to make calls, his voice little more than a murmur of sound that soothed her back to sleep.

Now, she lay in the near-darkness, listening to the faint sounds of the hospital personnel as they moved up and down the hallway beyond her room. With her head clearing of the fog and the remnants of the anesthesia in her system, she found herself disliking the quiet…no Charlie in the corner…no Weres moving about like restless furnaces on legs. And with no Paul-

A big, warm hand suddenly curled around her much smaller one, long fingers lacing through her own. Bella rolled her head to the side at the familiar touch, her male lost in the shadows, only the vaguest outline of his huge form, the occasional glint of steel against his torso, and the pale icy glint of his eyes visible. She felt herself relaxing completely once more now that she knew she wasn’t really alone, wasn’t left to the impersonal care of people who she was unfamiliar with, the staff she had come to know by name having been for the most part replaced since her last visit almost a year and a half ago.

A heavy arm slowly snaked across her hips as he leaned forward, pressing his lips against her hers and gently sucking her lower lip between his own. Those blue eyes were heavy lidded as they gazed into her own, his head on the pillow next to hers. One last slow press of his lips, then he pulled back. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Just glad you’re still here.” She smiled at him, enjoying the slow upward tilt of his black lips. She lifted her other hand and slowly reached out to brush her fingers over the firm, velvet contours, shivering as the tip of his tongue slide lazily along her forefinger. “Theme day today?”

“Mhmm…s’posed to have another one as well…Friday after next.” His white teeth gently nipped the tip of her finger before she pulled it away, his arm tightening across her body in a way that was comforting for all of its silent male possessiveness.

She cupped her hand against the elegant slope of his cheek, enjoying his closeness. She really wished she could talk him into climbing up onto the bed with her, but was afraid that their combined weight might actually break the poor thing since Paul pretty much weighed as much as the average Shetland pony. Plus, she suspected that even the significant leniency she had been shown by the hospital staff so far in letting Paul stay past what were clearly visiting hours might just dry up if they saw them sharing a bed.

She also wondered if her dad had said something to the nurses, because she knew just how badly she would sleep if he did leave, and short of drugging her into unconsciousness for the entirety of her visit they were kind of in a corner about letting him stay. Yeah, she hated being ‘that girl’ who needed rules to be broken for her but she also was unwilling to lose him right then.

She felt his fingers clench momentarily around her hip as if he had sensed the direction of her thoughts, before they were once more relaxing as he buried his face against her neck like a cat that had decided that it just damned well _was_ comfortable where it was. That smile tugged at her lips again as she dragged her fingers through the warm satin of his hair. And she didn’t fool herself for a second into thinking that the action wasn’t just as soothing for her as it was meant to be for him.

It was funny, but for all the supposed danger she had subjected herself to in the last almost-year, what with barely stable Werewolves and Paul himself before he had proven to be utterly trustworthy where she was concerned, the redheaded twat Victoria…the closest she had actually come to true disaster was caused by her own body’s malfunction. Yeah, dying from appendicitis was pretty damned rare, but it _was_ still a possibility. Never mind the sickness she would have had to have endured if the stupid useless organ had actually ruptured, something that Dr. Holbrook had informed all of them had been a very near thing.

Amazing how near misses made people take stock of their lives.

She was honestly getting tired of the panic attacks, because she didn’t like giving her power and self-control away to fear. Fear that, most times, was completely unfounded. She made a mental note to talk to Sam and hopefully get the number of his mother who was a licensed therapist, because she knew that Kyla Uley might very well be her only option in terms of getting proper therapy from someone she could actually _tell_ everything to. The woman herself was out in Florida helping to look after her aging parents who had decided that living in a senior community near the beach was pretty much the way to go. She’d never gotten to meet Sam’s mom, though she knew just about everything about her because Sam was very proud of his mother.

She was also getting pretty damned tired of always worrying about what other people thought of her. She was a freaking _teenager_! She didn’t need to hide her flaws all the time, worrying about someone seeing her as anything less than she was, because she really just needed to get over herself and live.

_And speaking of living…_

Here she was with pretty much the most amazing and gorgeous creature alive as a boyfriend…a male who loved her, respected her, and made no bones over just how much he wanted her…and she was dithering. It wasn’t even because she was afraid that he wouldn’t respect her afterwards, at this point. She was just…stubbornly hanging on to the belief that ‘good girls didn’t move that fast’. And if, by some freakish chance, she had been one of the very few to have kicked the bucket from a burst appendix, not being as close to Paul as she could physically manage was not a thing she wanted to regret.

So if she had been waiting for love, respect, consuming desire…well, it was all right there in front of her face. And she could kick the proverbial tires all she wanted…or she could just let herself _have_ what she wanted. And she wanted _him_. Wanted to know what it felt like to have him in every way he had offered her. Wanted to know what it felt like to have him buried deep inside of her body, to feel his heart thunder against her cheek as he snapped his leash and took everything she had to give…because she wanted him to have it all. And she wanted to take and take and take because she pretty much knew soul-deep that even once with him was going to straight-up fucking _ruin_ her for anyone else. Her male just wasn’t geared for anything less.

But she wasn’t scared of that anymore. Wasn’t worried that anything significant would change other than her learning to take what she wanted for once. Because she knew that no matter what happened, he was hers. Would always _be_ hers, because the only thing that might try to get between them was an Imprint and she didn’t doubt for a second that he would either find a way to break it himself or force the girl to let him go because he simply would _not_ allow himself to be held against his will in that way.

And for as much as he was hers…she was his. Granted she hadn’t had much previous experience…but she had enough to know when her feelings weren’t being influenced by outside sources. When her heart simply thumped in happiness just to catch sight of him. How lying in his arms made her feel safe, not just from the outside world but from her own racing thoughts. The way she felt content just being near him. Making love with him would only build upon her feelings for him, not distract from them because this wasn’t temporary for her. Not some training-wheel relationship. Sex without love was one thing…and not a thing she wanted for herself though she would never judge another for going that route. But this was sex _and_ love _and_ permanence.

This was it for her.

And that was all that mattered.

>}:{<

 


	32. Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper

Sitting in beds had pretty much become epically boring by the time Wednesday rolled around.

Bella had woken up early the day previous when the on-duty nurse had come sailing through her door to check on her and kick Paul out for a few hours now that she had gotten enough sleep. Or tried to, because no one made that male go anywhere he didn’t chose to go. Watching Nurse Ratched 2.0 squirm under his gaze had given Bella a guilty, vicious sorta thrill. The way she flushed when he uncoiled up off the bedside with a slow, feline roll of his body. The way he managed to make a simple press of his lips against Bella’s into something filthy before striding around the woman, his face pulled into sly defiance as he eyed her over with those cat-slanted eyes like she was some lame joke that he knew the punchline to.

Yeah, maybe Bella had been a bit bitter, but this was the same woman who had eyed them disapprovingly when she had come in around midnight, her face stiff despite the smile she had made an attempt at wearing. She was clearly used to being respected, and while Bella would normally be inclined to give her the same, this woman was trying to demand it from someone who she had done nothing to earn it from. Bella was unfortunately not exactly in a position to argue with her as she lay in an uncomfortable hospital bed and wearing a stupid gown that did not cover her butt. She was grumpy because she hated pretty much everything about being there. And then she was being forced to expose herself to a woman who was still giving her a cold, superior eye as she looked at the tiny incisions on Bella’s tummy. Finally and begrudgingly she had announced that Bella was already healing remarkably well, especially given the recentness of the procedure.

Bella had smiled tightly, because inside she was freaking out. Even _she_ knew it looked too good. She was healing much too fast. And as soon as the nurse had she exited the room, Bella had been on the phone with Charlie.

Thankfully, he had taken in her worry with all due seriousness and had shown up to check her out of the hospital. She’d had to sign an AMA, but there was little they could do. He had promised to have a family friend who was a medic look in on her should she need it, but they all had agreed that it was far better to get her out right then before anyone got suspicious.

Bella had been reluctantly wheeled out into the parking lot by Dr. Holbrook himself with last minute instructions on how to continue caring for Bella healing incisions and handing over a prescription for pain medication. Paul had slid into the back seat before Bella so that she could lean against him during the drive to help stabilize her.

Paul had also called Haven while he had been out in the hallway waiting for the nurse to look her over and found out that his boss had rearranged his schedule so that he would have the nights off to spend with Bella until she was well enough not to need him. It did, unfortunately, mean that Paul was due in at ten a.m. that day and so was unable to spend the day with her. Still, Bella greatly appreciated Haven’s gesture and had dialed up a florist as Charlie had driven all three of them home. The once joked about roses were now a thing as she had sent a mixed bouquet of black and white blooms to the man.

Charlie had then had her call up Sue and tell her what was going on. Sue had been very sympathetic about her infection and at first had asked her why she had left the hospital so fast…until Bella had told her that the small openings looked _way_ too healed for less than twenty four hours post op. To her credit, Sue had simply asked her to describe what she had seen and why she thought they had looked wrong. And Bella had said that the wounds looked like they had already begun to seal shut with less redness than there should be given that they were _holes through the front of her body_.

That was all the medic had needed to hear and she had disconnected after promising that she would be on her way to the Swan home as quickly as possible. The drive back had been pretty quiet after that and Bella had actually dozed off despite the lingering soreness of her tummy. She actually slept through Paul carrying her into the house and up the stairs, though she did wake up when Sue had knocked on her doorframe a while later.

Paul had apparently already showered and changed for work while she had been lights-out, his hair still damp as he had lain next to her with his shoulders against the headboard. He had put himself between her and the doorway, something that struck her as yet another protective display, likely unneeded but appreciated all the same. She had somehow come to be wrapped around his left leg with her head on his stomach, arm slung loosely over his hips as she blinked blearily at the door. Sue had smiled at Bella before coming in when the girl invited her, seemingly unfazed by the Were in her bed.

Bella had been right to worry…because she had managed what Sue estimated to be almost a week’s worth of healing in less than one day. The entry sites looked clean and healthy, and when Sue had asked, Paul had said that he couldn’t smell any infection. Sue had carefully re-bandaged Bella and then asked her if anything had changed in the past few days.

The only thing she could remember was three more of the Wolves imprinting on her. Sue suggested it might be a good plan for someone to see if any of her brothers had felt anything different in the past few days. Strangely, the older woman had glanced at Paul as she had made that statement and Bella had wondered why, because clearly Paul was not one of her brothers.

Sue had left not long after, walking out of her room and down the stairs to talk to Charlie leaving. Paul had glanced at her before scooting down the bed to give her a good cuddle before Charlie dropped him off at work for the day. Thankfully, Bella had been asleep before he had left and she had managed a good few hours before Angela had texted her to see how she was doing. She had been a bit startled to hear that Bella was actually back home already but had asked if she was up for a tiny bit of company because she had started collecting homework for her.

It had been nice to see the other girl when she had appeared, Bella having texted her on how to find the hide-a-key rock out in the back yard before she had let herself in. And she had stayed for a bit, laying down on Bela’s bed next to her as they chatted. Bella had thanked her for looking out for her while she had been acting like a fool to which Angela had just grinned and said Bella would have done the same. Bella had had to ruefully explain that Angela was clearly a little more sensible than she was and likely would never find herself in that situation.

Angela had snorted in likely agreement before telling her all about the last couple of days. That at lunch on Monday Lauren had called her a drama queen for having supposedly ‘fainted’ in class. And surprisingly, before Angela could even come to Bella’s defense… _Jessica_ had stood up, glared venomously at the would-be model, and told her off for being a lying bitch because regardless of the distance that had sprung up between them, she had _never_ _once_ done shit like make up an illness. She wasn’t dishonest…hell Bella couldn’t even lie to save her own life and _everyone_ knew that.

Now, the two weren’t talking and Jessica had tentatively begun the process of trying to make friends outside of those orbiting Lauren, pretty much cementing Angela’s opinion that the girl did not intend to bend from her position. Apparently she could stand a great deal, but straight-up dishonesty was her breaking point. Bella had been absolutely stunned at the other girl’s defense of her and had asked Angela to quietly pass on her thanks if she got the chance.

Angela had nodded before remembering to dig in her bag for Bella’s homework. Homework that each and every one of Bella’s teachers had left a note on telling her that she was not to push herself. That she should only do it once she felt well enough. It was also pretty damned clear that they were going to go easy on her.

The other girl had left not much longer after that and Bella had once more drifted between sleep and waking. She knew she needed the rest, because if her body was going to continue to heal at the stupid-fast rate it had already apparently decided upon, then she would need all the energy she could manage to stockpile. She’d come fully aware again when Charlie had knocked on her door much later that evening with a bowl of bland soup and a bottle of Gatorade as per Sue’s orders. He had sat and talked to her for a bit while she awkwardly spooned the soup into her mouth while trying not to wear it. She had giggled at some of the cards Charlie’s guys had gotten for her. Then Charlie was kissing her on the head before leaving her to get a little reading homework done while he went to go get ready for his evening.

Jacob had texted later that evening saying that he had been glad to hear that she was recovering. That he was glad Paul was able to be there at the hospital when she had needed him. That he was glad to hear that she had the relationship that made her happy and he was wishing her well. The message had been kind and completely lacking in any sort of demand for a response and punctuated with a cheerful smiley that made her smile in return. No judgement over her choice in boyfriend. And that right there told Bella that she had made the right choice to let him in again, because the Jacob from before would have wheedled and pouted before resorting to guilt trips. It had prompted her to respond and thank him, launching a short texted conversation that felt tentative but hopeful.

The short call she had made to her mother had been pretty much as expected, because Charlie had called her that night in the hospital to let her know what was going on. She’d spent a bit of time reassuring her mom that she was just fine and getting enough rest, and _yes_ she was taking care of herself. _No_ she didn’t need her to come visit to take care of her because her dad and Paul were doing a good job keeping an eye on her when she wasn’t sleeping her life away. Bella had finally clicked off after listening to a detailed description of Renée’s latest hobby.

She had also remembered at the last second to call Sam, because she wanted to thank her big brother for bringing the rest of her rowdy siblings in to visit her. She had also asked him if he thought he could do a little repair work on her floor cause she didn’t want to brain herself next time she tripped over the stupid loose board. Sam had just laughed and promised to bring his tools when he came to see her the next day.

She had just gotten through the last page when Paul had gently rapped his knuckles against the door frame before ducking his head under it when she smiled and waved him in. She hadn’t realized that time had passed so quickly and was happy to see him as he stepped towards the rocker in the corner of her room to drop off his jacket and bag. She had laughed when he had told her about Haven’s response to the roses…that he had cursed a blue streak at Colt for his teasing when the other man had brought them down to his office, but then he’d absolutely refused to let anyone touch them after he had placed them on his desk. Then Paul was moving towards her bed, stripping his shirt off as he came and dropping it on the floor.

Honestly, she suspected she would never really get over the thrill of watching him do that one simple thing. The way the tight knit would slowly climb up to bare his torso. The smooth rolling flex of his tightly laced abs as they shifted under his tawny skin. The way the muscle arrowed downward in deliciously defined curves to disappear under his low-slung waistband. The way his body twisted sinuously from hips to broad shoulders as he pulled it over his head. The way the fabric would bunch momentarily against his heavy biceps before he peeled it down and off. Or the way his lips would curl up smugly even when he _wasn’t_ looking at her as he had taken to doing since they had redefined their relationship. Every. Single. Damned. Time…because yeah, he knew _exactly_ how amazing he was to look it.

She had snorted at the Were as he sat on the edge of her bed to pull his boots off, putting her book down on the bedside table before scooting backwards to make room for him. But he apparently wasn’t done with her for the night because when he had flipped her over and pulled her back into him, he was fully and shamelessly hard. Pressed in a solid, thick line against the curve of her right butt cheek.

Sadly, she was well aware of the fact that he was just completely fucking with her because she wasn’t in any physical state to take him on right then. That, or it was his so very Paul way of saying ‘thank you’ for the eye-fucking she had given him. And she wasn’t really sure why she did it, but she had twisted her hips back against him in retaliation, drawing out of him a low growling rumble that had mellowed into a chuckle.

“Gonna play this game with me right now?” he had growled playfully against the back of her neck as he rolled forward into her. His lips had curved against her skin as he’d dug into her with the slow thrust, telling her what she pretty much already knew…this game wasn’t one she could win because he wasn’t going to play fair. She knew that if she asked, he’d roll onto his back and let her touch _anything_ and _everything._ And that was the cruelty of it, because if he did, it would be _her_ breaking Charlie’s rules…not him. He’d just lie there and watch her touch him with hooded eyes, those gorgeous lush lips pulling up at the corners as low male purrs spilled freely. He’d _let_ her do it. He would _enjoy_ it.

_And he absolutely would not reciprocate...because he’d promised Charlie._

Charlie, who had been out on the date he should have been on Monday but had postponed because she had insisted that he go.

But right then? Bella had been left with little other option but to concede defeat and plot her revenge. “You just wait,” she had grumbled at him.

He hadn’t even bothered to play ignorant of what she was threatening. She’d felt the rumble of his laughter against her back. “Mmmm… _can’t wait_ ,” he’d retorted in a tone that pretty much said he’d take great pleasure in whatever she tried to dish out because he knew _exactly_ what he’d do to her when she did. The low thrum of his voice, the roughness of it sent shivers down her spine because it was both promise and threat with a dangerous twist of pure unadulterated sex. Granted, his voice _always_ sounded like he’d been doing all kinds of naughty, dirty things. But right then? Yeah…Bella had pretty much hated the hell out of her probable recovery time.

_Even if it did give her all kinds of time to start planning._

Sleep had been long in coming because he hadn’t done a thing to urge her to relax and every time either one of them had shifted it had once more reminded her of just how freaking hard he was against her ass and how easy it would be to say fuck it all and jump him. And he didn’t help things because he’d tugged up the hem of her night shirt and dragged his fingertips along her thighs, sliding them up just under the soft cotton of her underwear to stroke over the curve of her hip before moving away again.

And she hadn’t stopped him…hadn’t protested no matter how close he came to crossing the ‘no funny business’ line. And hadn’t complained no matter _how_ much she had wanted to that he _hadn’t_ crossed it.

He had been gone before she had woken up tangled up in her blankets close to noon, flushed and slightly sticky from overheating. She’d blinked around blearily because her dreams had been kind of…yeah… _that_ kind. She’d lain there for a few moments to collect her scattered brain before the faint ping of her phone informed her that she had text message waiting from Paul…one that pretty much short circuited her brain once again…

_-You smell delicious when you dream like that…-_

Yeah…and there went the truly spectacular blush.

Apparently Paul had gotten over what had been making him edgy...

Unfortunately he was back in fine form and now that she was past worrying about _things_ , it was doubly difficult to not climb all over his stupidly sexy body since he had pretty much rolled out the red carpet and all but said ‘please _do_ come hither and fuck me… _hard’_.

Thank God for cold showers because the crap that had paraded tauntingly through her head after that last parting shot had kind of sent her hormones into an absolute freak out. Though she thankfully did remember to open the window to air out her room, because she had absolutely no intentions of having Sam over where he could smell any lingering scents of… _stuff_ happening.

Bella had never really considered herself to be all that licentious before. Sure, she was curious…she was a human being. Her last boyfriend had been this creature that been sexualized by tales meant to terrify young women into chaste propriety. Funny that he had been a puritanical prude. Ironic. There she had been dating this supposedly dangerous creature geared towards killing her and draining her drier than a kid with a pouch of Capri Sun and he wasn’t even interested in being with her sexually because he was afraid of ‘tainting her’. Wanted to keep her on his little mental pedestal. To tell the absolute truth, even her mild desire to have sex with Edward had been born of her desire to be closer to him. Yeah, she had loved him (as artificial as she was beginning to suspect it had been…for all the good it had done her) and sex would have just been a continuation of that because physically he wasn’t really anything to write home about.

Not all that glitters is gold…

Now, granted she had no idea what in the absolute fuck Paul was, but _whatever_ he was…Jesus…

It wasn’t like with Vampires, where they were considered sexy simply because of the hype and culture. Her Were was just wickedness waiting… _wanting_ to happen. It was inevitable by his very nature because there was something in him that could entice like nothing she had ever seen…he was fully capable of tempting a saint to sin with nothing but a quirk of his lips and the crook of a finger. Add to that the fact that he was terrifyingly smart, something that wasn’t hurt by having an eidetic memory she suspected. And Bella had always been the type to find smart guys sexy. That he had used that sly, gifted, and almost frighteningly analytical mind of his to slide around her defenses was…honestly a bit flattering.

She’d begun suspecting things about Paul lately to be honest. Putting things together. About the way he had been oh so careful of her when he had met her. Slow, measured steps forward that insured no need to take any backwards in the path he had lead her on. And it had made her think. What if…?

What if when the Big Bad Wolf had seen Little Red Riding Hood…who was not in fact a child but a young woman…instead of seeing her as a potential meal, he had seen a potential mate? He did not go to Grandma’s house to lie in wait after having eaten the old woman…that old woman knew damned well who _he_ was and didn’t trust him farther than she could throw him.

Now, this Wolf was a true wild thing despite the fact that he had learned the human girl’s language and had a general understanding of what made her tick as a human being. He also had heard rumors that she had once been a Lady who had been courted by a nobleman’s son…a very eligible son who considered himself a morally and intellectually superior man. He had been taken with the Lady, until he discovered that all his money, lands, and charm would never buy her perfect submission because she was smart and strong in her own right. Drugging her into compliance would only go so far…and so he had abandoned her. Told her she was not worthy of him and worse…somehow made her _believe_ it.

Well…she was _still_ a Lady, but now she was a much stronger, if more guarded one.

And the Wolf?

That handsome and powerful Wolf had seen the young woman and decided that he wanted her. But instead of kidnapping her and attempting to force his own attentions on her because all it would do was make her run, he had been sly. The Wolf was clever. It was true that he knew nothing of roses and romance, but he knew how to love. He could not give her the fancy jewels and gowns the nobleman’s son had promised, but he could give her something much better. The knowledge that she would be respected and loved and _wanted_ just for who she was and not for who someone had wanted her to become.

So the Wolf had played its game. It had slowly crept closer, not threatening her but…guarding her. Every time she walked the path to and from Grandmother’s house, he guarded her and came just that tiny bit closer. She grew used to him. Happy to see him. Eventually left him treats because she had begun to see him as her friend, just as he had wanted her to. Time passed and she eventually lost her fear of him completely…would hug him and cuddle up to him freely knowing that nothing would touch her with him near. And never quite really understanding that she had not, in fact, tamed her Wolf… _he_ had tamed _her_.

_But did it really matter how he had gone about things if it gave her what she needed?_

Because where he could not give her false words and poetry, he could give her his instincts. To love, protect, and even kill if she were ever threatened. To give her his passion and his desire without limits placed on it by what another might deem as propriety. She was his mate, the mate he had chosen for himself despite her humanity and his predator nature.

So yeah…Bella had absolutely no qualms about what Paul had done. That he had used his charm, his intelligence, his instincts, and yeah _sue_ _her_ his straight up insane fuckability to get what he wanted? Isn’t that how things normally went, when one wanted another person? They pursued with everything available to them, and so long as they did not cross the line into forcing themselves where they were not wanted, wasn’t all fair in love and war? She had _him_ right back, after all…she had absolutely nothing to complain about.

She was just climbing into a clean set of pajamas when her phone rang, Sam letting her know that he was almost there. She had been excited to see him without all the hospital drama and had promised to climb back into bed because he could just let himself in.

Now, she was grinning as Sam walked in, setting his toolbox down before he stepped over and hugged her. Yeah, the bed was absolutely boring as hell, but seeing her big bro with a smile on his handsome face more than made up for it!

“How ya doin’, squirt?”

“Eh,” she responded. “The gas they pumped into me for the procedure is out, finally, so now I’m mostly just sore and bored when not sleeping.”

He blinked before one brow slowly lifted. “Gas? What the fuck?”

Bella laughed. “It’s a thing. They pumped me full of it to give them enough room to work since they didn’t cut my stomach open. Really not gonna complain about the lack of an ugly surgical scar.”

Sam was quiet for a moment, considering. Then, almost hesitantly, “Can I see it?”

Bella smiled as she tossed back the blankets and tugged her top up, before shoving the bottoms low enough for the Wolf to see. He bent over her from his spot on the side of her bed, his hand slowly lifting before his eyes once more met hers in question.

“It’s okay,” she assured him. “You won’t hurt anything.” Because Sam wasn’t a ham-handed asshole.

He carefully traced his fingertips over the tiny incisions, lips tipping into a faint frown as he did so. “This was caused by an infection?”

She could very well imagine him blaming himself for having failed to detect it because he’d been distracted and she didn’t like that _at_ _all_. “Sam, don’t you dare go there. It was only just starting Saturday night, so there was very likely no way you could’ve detected it. It’s not an open wound that could be picked up by scent. It was an organ _inside_ my body.”

“I just…I hate that you got so sick.”

Bella carefully got up and clambered into his lap, leaning into him as he wrapped his arms around her. “Well, I hate the fact that I got sick too but it didn’t kill me. Yeah, it was a bit uncomfortable but…I’m still here.”

Sam snorted. “You are way too stubborn to let some stupid infection kill you.”

“Ugh. If I _hadn’t_ of been so stubborn about the whole thing, I probably would have noticed straight off that it wasn’t period cramps.”

Sam leaned back and eyed her. “You aren’t due till Thursday.”

She couldn’t help but scowl at him. “Brothers are never supposed to have a girl’s period time memorized! It’s like some kind of rule…in a book…somewhere.”

Finally, Sam just laughed. Couldn’t help it. He was just so glad that she was okay and back to snipping at him in her silly way. She clearly wasn’t too bad off if she could poke at him for that. Still, he would keep a better eye on her. He suspected every one of her damned brothers would be doing the same.

“Sam?”

“Hmm?”

“Not sure if you heard about why I had to leave the hospital so soon yesterday morning. Yeah, they would likely have only held me about forty-eight hours or so, but…”

“Yeah…Paul did mention that when he called after Charlie dropped him off at work. Said that you were healing too fast to stay where the ‘normals’ would get suspicious. You never _used_ to heal this fast, right?”

She shook her head. “I was always pretty good at it given all the practice I had,” she grumbled. “But no…nothing abnormal at least.”

Sam chewed his bottom lip for a moment, debating bringing up what he had been pondering about the situation. He knew she would be upset, because if it had been _him_ , he likely would have been the same. However, he wasn’t comfortable keeping things that directly affected her from her either. “So...I was talking with the rest of your brothers after Paul brought it up yesterday. About you healing faster than normal.”

She turned and looked at him questioningly, brows lifted as she waited for him to continue.

“Well…here’s the thing. I knew something was up with you Monday before shit went down. Um…Did Charlie tell you…?”

“He said you called him?”

Sam sighed. “He must have forgotten to tell you with everything that was happening. Plus, Paul wasn’t real stable when they tried to keep him from you and Charlie had to do some fast talking to get your boy back there with you. I can’t imagine him keeping it from you on purpose.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Keep _what_ from me?”

“Jared and your idiot twin brothers killed a Vampire out on the edge of the rez Monday morning.”

Bella blinked…stunned. But he could feel her pulse trip-hammer through her body as she went still and he hurried to reassure her. “Paul didn’t know about it until you were in surgery but he agreed to let me be the one to tell you if Charlie didn’t. You needed rest more than you needed to worry. I promise you, it could not be deader, because your brothers lit the thing on fire and burned it to ash. There were faint traces of scent matching the redhead, but nothing more than that. And there was no sign of any other Vamps in the area, we checked. We will _keep on_ checking. Please try not to worry about this until we _know_ there is something to worry over.”

She glanced downward towards where he had grabbed her hand, bringing her other around to lay over the both of them as her heart climbed back down out of her throat. Funny that Victoria didn’t really scare her as much as some stray Vamp, especially since that particular bitch had a yen to see her dead by her own two hands. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was clearly more invested in keeping her own undead hide intact than she was in some suicide run to get at Bella through one seriously territorial Pack of Werewolves. She tucked her head under Sam’s chin as she pondered her reaction. Because while she knew intellectually that Victoria was a legitimate threat to her wellbeing, she kind of seemed like a desperate, sad joke. Introducing an unknown Vampire to the situation was what threw her because it was unpredictable, it’s motives unknown. Nomads were common, according to Carlisle, but they generally did not travel by themselves because Vampires were social creatures unless circumstances in their history drove them to seek a solitary existence. “Dr. Cullen told me that Vampires generally don’t travel alone even if they are not terribly loyal to those they group with outside of mated pairs…so the likelihood of it having been a solitary Vampire is not high. You know that some Vampires have gifts. And at this point I’m pretty sure that Victoria’s gift is evasion. Kind of an ironic gift for a Vampire who was mated to one whose gift was tracking. But it may be why you can’t catch her.”

Bella also did not mention that whatever it was in the Vampire’s human past that had caused her to develop such an ability, one used to hide from those who may harm her, must have been terrible. And sad. She felt a little strange for feeling any pity at all for her would-be murderer, but there you go…

Sam nodded thoughtfully, something that he had occasionally wondered about every time the witch managed to get free of them. “Does makes sense. She has proven to be amazingly adroit at getting away from us.”

“I know that Vampire gifts are not guaranteed in every individual, but…and I’m not hoping that it’s true…but what if the reason you haven’t found any trace of a companion is because _their_ gift makes them hard to track somehow? Like…no scent or something?”

Sam bit back a curse, because that hadn’t actually occurred to him. Well, it wasn’t so much that _he_ hadn’t thought of it, but that the thought hadn’t occurred to _any_ of them. No Vampire had a useless gift as far as he had seen, but something like this? Simple and utterly devastating because Wolves were so very scent dependent. Yes, their sight was a great deal sharper than a human’s, but just like any natural-born wolf, a Shifter Wolf’s eyesight was not nearly as acute as their sense of smell. He’d have to make sure to let the others know about this newest possibility because if Bella were correct, it would mean that they had possibly been letting shit get by them.

It was definitely food for thought and they would _all_ would have to start doing a great deal more than just keeping their noses to the ground.

“What did you mean to tell me? I mean, before you mentioned the Vamp.” Bella seemed to have decided to put that on the back burner for the moment.

_Fuck_ …

Because he kind of didn’t want to talk about _that_ either, but…

“Well…as I had said. All of us that have imprinted on you…we sat down after Paul called and…Well, we discovered that all of us felt a bit more _off_ than just worried about you. Now, it’s not anything extreme,” he said when she glanced at him again, her eyes narrowed intently. “But we, at least those of us connected to you at that point, did agree that the… _feeling_ …began right around the time you came out of surgery. For the other three, it began immediately after they bonded themselves to you.”

Bella’s lips curved downward at the corners. Clearly, she didn’t like the direction this was going. But then, she never did like it when anything bothered _her_ Wolves.

“Anyway. The feeling. It was just a bit stronger before the other three…Quil and the twins. But when they were added to the mix, it was like it evened out and just drew from _all_ of us evenly.”

“Drew _what_ from you, Sam?”

_Yeah…that was definitely grumpy-Bella voice._

“We think that you’ve been healing so fast because you’ve been pulling the energy from us to do so.”

She started to scramble away from him but hissed at the dull pain in her stomach as she moved wrong and Sam simply lifted her back into place to try and help relieve her discomfort.

“Bella?”

She hunched her shoulders when she seemed to realize that he wasn’t going to let her escape, her voice coming out small. “I’m sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to use you guys, and-”

“No.”

He watched her blink, confused. “No? What do you mean no?”

“Bella, do you actually think that any _one_ of us give a shit that you are pulling from us to heal up? That we wouldn’t actually _sign_ _up_ for it if given the option? Cause kid, you can bet on it. How do you think all of us responded when we felt you freaking out on Monday and couldn’t get to you right away? Because let me tell you, just after I got off the phone with Charlie I had to pull over and let Pierce drive since all I wanted to do was get out, Phase, and go hunting for whatever it was that was scaring you. And that was just because you were frightened. So if you think that any of us are upset about this…you taking what you need from your _brothers_ to get you back to one hundred percent…then you need to think again.”

“I just…I hate that I might have done something like this without even _asking_ if it was okay, first. It’s your bodies, and if I’m _taking_ from you then…what else could I do to you?”

“Can you look at me, please?” The Wolf waited as she twisted her hands together and gnawed at her lower lip for a moment, before finally lifting her gaze back to his. “Now, then. Yeah, you didn’t ask. But then, how would you _know_ to? Cause this right here is a new thing, even for all of us weirdos. Second, you haven’t hurt any of us. Not even close, and I know I speak for all of us when I say we _know_ you wouldn’t. Not ever. Not for any reason and _especially_ not for your own benefit. So. No more of this, okay? I didn’t tell you to watch you beat yourself up, but because I don’t think that keeping shit from people, particularly things that directly affect them, to be a very good policy.”

She was quiet for a moment as she rolled his words around, before nodding in acceptance.

“Okay. I can see your point. Sorry for spazzing…again. And…that’s kind of something I need to talk to you about.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully, but then apparently decided to just go for it. “So your mom. You said she knows all about the Vamps and the Wolves, and I was wondering if you thought I could schedule sessions with her long distance. If she does that kind of thing, anyway. I’m tired of the panic attacks. I’m tired of feeling like I’m the favorite sideshow everywhere I go…I know it’s mostly paranoia but…I don’t want to care about crap like that anymore. I just want to live my life. And I want to be done with feeling like I’m not measuring up, somehow. That I’m not good enough. Paul is making inroads, but it’s not _his_ job to make me feel okay about being me. And I don’t want to give Edward Cullen power in my life anymore…he’s long gone and I’m _still_ letting him control parts of my mind and emotions.”

And that right there? Sam was so goddamned proud of this girl he could burst with it. Fuck if he didn’t actually tear up a tiny bit. “Yeah, she’d be pleased as hell. I know you haven’t met her, but I do tell her about you all the time. She asks about you and says you sound like an amazing young woman. She actually did offer to talk to you a time or two, but then thought it might be better if you came to the conclusion that you wanted a therapist’s help on your own. You can’t help someone who isn’t ready for it even if you really want to. They just end up feeling cornered.”

He gave her a steadying hand as she climbed back onto the bed, before handing her his phone so she could make the call. Held her hand when she indicated she wanted him to for moral support. Listened as she politely corrected his mother as to her identity and introduced herself. Watched as his little sister slowly began to tell a stranger what she needed, and the slowly growing smile on her face when his mother not only treated her like she deserved to get well, but simply treated her with kindness and respect. Understanding and non-judgmental because his mom was just awesome like that. Smiled, himself, as Bella set a time to talk on Friday evening.

And hugged her as tightly as he dared after she handed his phone back, relief clear in every line of her body.

“So,” Sam said. “Between now and Friday, make a list of the things you want to talk to her about. Not just what happened, but what he said…what you felt. How it still affects you and the things you notice about yourself that might be different than you remember from before, both good and bad. Try to notice things that might trigger those panic attacks because I know from experience that she will have an endless supply of ways you can begin to combat them. Nothing is too small or too big to talk about, so talk about it all! And just so you know…unless you tell her that you intend to go off and kill someone…she’s not going to say anything to anyone, not even me. This is not you in the spotlight and displaying weaknesses…this is you learning to strip away your pain so you can leave it behind.”

“I also don’t ever want to be in a position where some guy tries to make me into his own little version of a Stepford Wife…or that I actually _let_ him get away with that crap!”

“Bella, I can’t imagine you ever letting _anyone_ treat you that way again. Certainly not Edward Cullen. Though as your brother, I totally reserve the right to point and laugh and throw popcorn if he ever tries to get by your boyfriend because that show will be funny as shit to watch.”

Bella laughed as she got up onto her knees and pressed her lips to his cheek. “You know you’re pretty much one of the best brothers ever, right?”

Sam snorted. “Damn right I am.”

Bella scooted back into her nest of blankets, eyes narrowed playfully. “You know what else good brothers do besides heckle stupid ex-boyfriends?”

Sam bit his cheek to keep from grinning and lifted his brows in question.

“They fix their sister’s floors so they don’t accidentally kill themselves!”

He laughed as he playfully mussed her hair before standing and scooping up his toolbox. “Right, then. Where is it?”

“About a foot and a half from the end of the bed on the left.”

Nodding to himself, he settled onto the floor and opened the box, removing a few of the items it looked like he would need. “So…Emily called last night.”

Bella glanced at him. “How was she?” She really hoped that the woman was going to come home soon. He had looked so lost on Saturday that a part of her wanted to attempt to smack sense into Emily because Sam was her brother. Another had felt bad for it, because Emily was also her dear friend and she loved her and did not want her to be distressed, despite the fact that it was Bella’s _own_ newfound happiness that had upset her. Then she tipped back towards anger again because it was Emily’s failure to own up to her own desires and her attempts to hide her discontent from her mate, rather unsuccessfully because c’mon he was connected to her by his very _soul_ , that had set the both of them up for problems. But…Bella of all people knew that sometimes you just couldn’t help who you were attracted to and she was sure without even a hint of a doubt that Emily was not a bad person. Just rather confused and not sure how to fix things because not once in her life had she ever been faced with such a situation.

“She said that she had some stuff she needed to sort out. Said that she shouldn’t be too much longer and that she misses everyone and was sorry that she wasn’t there for you on Monday when we came to visit you.”

“She say when she is coming home? I miss her too.” Because for whatever had happened to drive Emily away, Bella wasn’t about to let herself forget what the other woman had done for her. The time and love the other woman had lavished on her when she had so desperately needed it. She hoped Emily would find the emotional equilibrium she sought…while feeling guilty over the fact that Bella had a pretty good idea of what had set her brother’s mate off in the first place. It wasn’t her place to say anything, because Emily had not in fact done anything wrong. She had not acted on her attraction, and setting Sam off with the information would be horribly unfair to her.

“She said that she should be home sometime this weekend,” Sam said, seemingly more at ease now that he had a timeframe. He pushed gently against the loose board, and finding that it did not easily settle back into the space it had come loose from, he picked up a narrow tool and set it into the groove behind it, before gently tapping it with a hammer to loosen it.

“I’m glad to hear that. Can you tell her that I love her if she calls again?” Bella actually liked watching Sam work. He was always so patient and never lost his temper with a project. Didn’t cuss when something did not immediately go his way…just finessed it until it did. He looked the same, now…like having things like this to do simply relaxed him. There was a quiet smile on his face…

…that suddenly died as the board came loose.

His brows pulled together in confusion as he set it aside, before reaching into the newly exposed gap in the floor.

When she later talked to Sam’s mother Kyla on Friday, she would be unable to describe what exactly it had felt like when Sam had begun pulling things from the impromptu storage space he had discovered. Fear. Hatred. Disgust. Betrayal. Loathing. Horror. Anger… _so much anger._ It roiled in her head and stomach like acid. She felt like she would choke on it as it climbed up her throat like a scream that refused to break from her suddenly frozen lips.

Photographs of herself and Edward. Dozens of them. The plane tickets. The disc with the music the Vampire had composed and recorded for her. A bracelet that he had given her that she had honestly found to be far too ostentations for her taste but had kept because her boyfriend had given it to her. Dried flowers from prom that she had awkwardly accepted in front of her father’s stony and disproving face because he had never gotten over his dislike of Edward, even before he had been informed about what he was. She had later hung them up and dried them to keep them for memory’s sake. The small notebook full of poetry he had also composed for her.

“Bella?” Sam’s voice had floated towards her as if he were far away, his expression hesitant. Worried and vaguely sick. She didn’t blame him for that because he was handling things that probably still held the Vampire’s scent on them, even though it had likely been mostly eroded by time.

“He told me he had taken everything so that I would have nothing to remember him by.” _Fuck, was that her voice?_ It sounded cold and thin… _strained_ even to her own ears. “Told me that my human mind was like a sieve and that without those reminders I would forget all about him.”

Sam curled his lip in disgust, once more thoroughly pissed off at the childish shithead who apparently couldn’t even do what he _claimed_ he would right…leaving it all behind like some kind of emotional booby-trap. He knew exactly what he _wanted_ to do with all the crap he had pulled out of the floor…but they were _her_ things. Her memories, no matter how painful it seemed it had been to see them again. And as much as he wanted to light them all on fire in a fit of equally childish rage, if she wanted a few of the things just so she could have tangible proof of what had happened in her life, he wasn’t about to make that decision for her. “What would you like me to do with them?”

Her eyes burned with so much hurt that if Edward had been standing there just then, he likely would have destroyed him and to fuck the with Treaty. And he could not deny the flash of vindictive satisfaction he felt when she narrowed her eyes at the stack of crap. “Would you help me burn it? I don’t ever want to see any of it again.”

He knew that just throwing it away would have been sufficient…physically. But burning it would give her emotional closure that he wasn’t about to deny her, so he gathered up all the things and crushed them into one hand before carefully helping her up while she bundled herself into his jacket. Helped her get her boots on before scooping her up and carrying her out of her room, down the stairs and through the kitchen before heading out the back door.

Both were silent as Sam pulled out the metal trashcan that Charlie must have emptied that morning and dumped in all of Bella’s tangible memories of the Vampire that had supposedly loved her. She watched as her brother reached into the drawer next to her father’s beloved grill and pulled out a box of matches. Poured lighter fluid over the photos and other things that just seeing again had ripped a hole into her chest…only this time it wasn’t made of mourning or loss but rage. And when Sam handed her the box, she had struck that match and tossed it without hesitation.

It all burned quickly, just like the sudden flash of all those overwhelming emotions. Sam stood quietly with her and held her, their silence suddenly joined by a third presence and Bella turned her head to see Quil standing next to them, his eyes solemn as he gazed down at her. She reached out and threaded her fingers through his, feeling the gentle squeeze he gave her hand as he turned back to the almost ritualistic burning of Bella’s most painful memories. He asked no questions, because Quil had always been highly intuitive and she thought he probably sensed just how meaningful it was for her.

And it was…to be the one to destroy these things of her own volition instead of being victimized by their loss when they had been stolen from her was freeing. Taking control and saying ‘screw you, I’ve moved on without you and your stupid _things_ holding me back’.

Admittedly, the smell of the plastic burning wasn’t terribly pleasant but it was a small price to pay for the sense of satisfaction she gained.

And when there was nothing left but a blackened pile of ash and a small, cooling puddle of compact disc, she felt that small hole once more seal over and disappear. Quil pulled her away from Sam and hugged her as tightly as he seemed to dare, then simply scooped her up in his arms and followed his Alpha back into the house and up into Bella’s room.

“So,” he said as he got her situated once more on her bed. “Backyard bonfires a thing now? Cause if so, I will totally bring the fucking marshmallows next time!”

“Burning loser Vampire shit is a thing,” Bella said, smiling at the Wolf, because it was kind of impossible to mope or angst with him around for very long.

His brows drew in quizzically as he glanced at her.

“All the crap Edward said he took with him when he left. He hid it in my floor instead.”

Quil shuddered. “Gross. So burning that shit was an awesome plan. I totally approve. Points. Cause…yuk.”

Sam glanced at the pair as he settled himself back on the floor to repair the hole. “Not saying I’m not glad to see you, but what brought you Quil?”

Quil grinned. “You kidding? What makes you think I wasn’t gonna come see my sister now that she’s good for company? And…I actually _have_ a sister….how cool is that?!” He gently shoved Bella over before scooting up next to her and then reached into the pocket of his cargo shorts. “Also, Leah told me to bring this over for Bella when she heard I wanted to come visit. Said it was awesome and that she thought Bella would enjoy it.”

_It_ turned out to be a paperback book wrapped in a plastic shopping bag. Turning it over, Bella saw that it was in fact a novel in a series that she had actually heard of and had intended on starting. Storm Front was the first novel of The Dresden Files and Bella greedily clutched the book because she was a proud and self-admitted book junkie.

But instead of backing off and letting her crack the book, Quil wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his side before snatching the book back, quelling her with a look. Curious about his intentions, Bella gave in and made herself comfortable, propping her head on his shoulder as he dramatically flipped open the paperback…and began to read it to her.

At once Bella grinned and settled in, all thoughts of her earlier upset forgotten because no one had read to her since she was a child and this was going to be a rare treat. Especially since Quil did different voices for the different characters with a good natured enthusiasm that soon had she and Sam, who was also listening as he worked, laughing. It didn’t actually take Sam all that long to fix the board, but afterword, instead of heading out he settled into her rocking chair and listened with a grin on his face.

And yeah…Bella knew damned well that she had the best brothers in the entire universe…

>}:{<

Kim cheered as Chet, now a talking pile of crap, apologized to his little brother.

Bella grinned at the other girl who had appeared that morning with a whole collection of John Hughes movies, junk food, soda, and nail polish. Along with a curling iron and hair ties because she had always wanted to get at Bella’s hair. Something Bella was more than happy to let her do because just about everyone who has ever had long hair knows how soothing it is when someone plays with it.

Kim’s own hair wasn’t all that long or thick, but it was a beautiful color that shimmered with health as it framed her face.

Both girls had dragged copious amounts of blankets down the stairs after setting up all of their contraband, much to Charlie’s amusement, and settled into an epic nest on the sofa to watch movies that had come out long before either of them had been born. One should _never_ dismiss the awesome that was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science. Of course, seeing Robert Downey Jr. so young had just amazed her. It was funny, but she supposed that she would never really see him as anyone but Tony Stark.

Glancing back down at the small hand balanced on her knee, Bella carefully loosened the muscles in her hand to make certain that her lines stayed smooth and even as she painted a delicate purple spiral atop the black polish she had already brushed onto the other girl’s thumbnail. Dark blue followed, then gold. Silver and pink sparkle came last, leaving Kim’s nail to look like a great deal like a fanciful nebula of stars.

Yeah, Kim had suggested _a_ star, but Bella would always repaint it if she didn’t like it. And going by the look on her face, Bella really didn’t think that was going to be a problem as a smile curled the other girl’s wide mouth in delight. Because Bella had discovered something she excelled at in the world of color and paint. She would always love to draw and was always improving, but paint was a medium that she just _got_ for some reason. Like cooking, the way certain tastes and textures combined in familiar ways and then _new_ ways when experimented with.

Thank God she was well enough now to be able to get back to cooking because being stuck in the bed for the last week had been horrible when she didn’t have company. Quil had shown up again every day for the rest of the week and they had finished the book, an experience Bella wouldn’t trade for anything because it was special time with her new brother. Angela had also showed up in the afternoons, once bringing a bouquet of flowers in a vase from Cody, the guy who had carried her to the nurse’s office. Angela had grinned and explained that Cody had given them to her for Bella because he felt like it was a polite thing to do when one was sick. He hadn’t blushed or stammered, simply winked at the tall girl before walking back to his girlfriend who had kissed him with a proud smile….because yeah, her boyfriend was just awesome and she knew it.

But those times without the others?

Both the refrigerator kitchen and the huge double-door affair out in the garage that Charlie had bought for her when he realized that his girl cooked like a fiend when she needed to decompress for whatever reason were packed to the gills, since Sue had declared her fit to be back on her feet yesterday morning. Her growing frustration had taken the form of cookies, pie, brownies, and endless ready-made meals that Charlie would pack for work and Bella took to school.

The frustration instigated by an impossible Were bedmate.

Things had been slowly going from the frying pan to the fire as the days passed. Because just _knowing_ that all of _that_ was wrapped around her every night and clearly willing to be debauched at her leisure was pretty much the worst form of torture that Bella could ever have devised. Thursday night she had resorted to helplessly running her hands over the muscle stacking his torso, stroking his satin skin and trying to content herself with it because she wasn’t about to break her word to Charlie. Sleep had been all but impossible after he had coaxed her up to sprawl across his body. He hadn’t _really_ touched her intimately, other than the occasional graze of his thumbs down over her butt after he’d pulled up her nightshirt again under the pretext of stroking his warm, callused hands across her back. He was still playing that line and she was _letting_ him because she just freaking _wanted_ him to.  

Friday had been much the same except for the soft snarl she had pulled from him when she had absently begun rolling her hips against him. Part of her had wanted to just keep on doing it once she realized what she had done, but to _intentionally_ do that would have been breaking that stupid rule and oh crap she couldn’t wait for next week, because Charlie was going to be heading out of town to visit a friend in Albuquerque next Thursday. And given the stray Vamp on Monday, he had asked Paul if he wouldn’t mind having Bella stay with him while he was gone. She had actually stayed over at Paul’s house before, so it really wasn’t a big deal as far as her father was concerned. Bella, on the other hand…? She had _PLANS._ Many, in fact, from getting him naked and enjoying it for all she was worth, to climbing him like a tree, followed immediately by seeing how many times she could actually have sex with him until she just straight up _couldn’t_ anymore.

Maybe it was karmic that she had spent all that time worrying about sex and then when she was ready to actually _have_ it…she _couldn’t_.

Still, waking up just this morning wrapped around him with him digging into her hip had kind of topped the cake for pure unfairness. She had never realized just how much he had kept his arousal under wraps around her before, and now that he wasn’t…it was absolutely maddening. How the hell did he function like that?! Cause her morals were about to wave the white flag in the face of her libido because it would have been far too easy to push him onto his back and straddle him. The way his eyes had hooded as the thought raced through her head, like he’d _smelled_ it on her, pretty much promised that she’d enjoy every second of it if she did.

The doorbell suddenly rang, startling Bella out of her Paul-induced fixation and she glanced down, thankful that she hadn’t messed up the paint job she was finishing up on Kim’s nails. Capping the bottle, she put it on the coffee table before plucking her wallet up off the side table and hurrying to the door to greet the pizza delivery guy. She’d actually been craving it since she had graduated from soft foods.

Because her healing? Crazy shit had happened there…

She was fully healed with absolutely no scaring. There wasn’t even a mark to show for the tiny incisions in her skin. Granted Bella had always healed, but this…was _really_ kind of ridiculous. Charlie had made her promise to go easy for the weekend at least, and in all fairness she could see his point, because if she had become so utterly drained that she had had to resort to metaphysical theft from her brothers, then she really needed to give herself time to recoup her energy stores. She was scheduled to be back at school on Monday, though the staff was still under the impression that she would need to go easy and she was excused from gym class, thank God. She didn’t think that Mike would forgive her this time if she brained him with a badminton racket again…

Smiling at the cheerful guy with the much coveted pizza and breadsticks, Bella wished him a good afternoon before returning to the living room as Kim set out the plates and napkins. She was extremely careful of her newly painted nails, something that privately tickled Bella because it showed that the other girl liked her work enough that she didn’t want it damaged.

The final movie was popped into the dvd player and Bella settled down to watch Sixteen Candles. It was another one she hadn’t seen in years, and another favorite because the main character was just this normal girl that all this crazy shit happened to…and she still got the hot guy in the end.

_Funny that Bella had felt the same the last time she had watched this…_

She’d been dating Edward at the time and had felt like things had finally fallen into place. It was just before prom and she was recovering from the injuries she had sustained at James’ hands. She had been curled up on this very sofa, in fact, because Charlie hadn’t been too keen on letting her out of his sight after she had been discharged from the hospital, no matter how many times the Cullen’s had promised to look after her. She had been still drifting along on her Vampire-induced high and the separation had annoyed her because she had felt incomplete without said Vampire.

_Without her fix_ , she thought irritably.

It was something that she had spoken of to Kyla Uley when she had settled in for her appointment yesterday evening. The way she had constantly felt like she couldn’t function without Edward there towards the end. Her head had been an absolute mess. And sometimes, she wondered if that hadn’t been part of why he had left her…that she just wasn’t good enough to be able to keep her head on straight with him around.

Kyla had taken in all of her concerns before gently pointing out that Bella was still blaming the victim…herself…for supposedly not being enough for Edward. That taking the supernatural out of the equation, sometimes people are attracted right off the bat to others, and then find out their morals and values simply do not mesh. It’s not a failing on anyone’s part until one hurts the other in an attempt to not own up to the fact that they want out instead of being open and honest; making the other wrong somehow to justify their desire to leave them behind. And given the likelihood of his stunted emotional development being caused by having been changed as a teenager and the values and beliefs of the era he had grown up in, Edward might have simply been unable to handle their separation in a kind and mature manner.

Bella had also been surprised by the fact that Kyla did not seem disgusted that she had been dating a Vampire, musing that if they were even half as addictive as she had heard them to be, then she could not blame Bella at all. Especially if one were _intentionally_ befuddling her with the intent of having his own little baby way in every conversation and dispute that came up.

After that, Bella had pretty much decided that she wanted to be Sam’s mom when she grew up because she was awesome and had said so, causing the woman to laugh delightedly.

Bella had also brought up the panic attacks before the end of the session.

And just as Sam had predicted, Kyla had an easy one for Bella to start with. To sit down and start paying attention to the things around her instead of what was making her brain hop into its hamster-wheel of panic. To notice the feel of the fabric of her shirt. The color of the walls around her or the trees and sky. Could she feel a breeze? What did things smell like? What did she hear? What of the feel of the grass or dirt or flooring?

Focusing on her outward surroundings instead of the whirling in her brain to help center herself. It seemed like such a simple thing…almost silly…but Bella was willing to give it a shot because she didn’t see any way it could possibly hurt.

Her phone gave a tiny buzz, indicating a text message. She was surprised to see that it was from Leah with a message that she was driving up to Port Angeles the next day and she wanted to know if Bella would like to come along and keep her company.

It was the very first time that Leah had indicated that she wanted to spend time with her for fun outside of the Pack gatherings and Bella wasn’t about to turn it down. Her fingers flew over the screen as she responded that she would love to go and asked if they could stop at the book store because she had finished the novel Leah had given her and wanted to see if she could get a few of the others.

She was surprised into laughter when Leah responded with a purple devil-horned emoji, along with a message that stated that those books were certifiable crack and that Leah will now proudly call herself Bella’s dealer. It was so unlike the typically stoic female Wolf that Bella was startled…and touched that Leah was letting out a bit of her humor around her. Because it felt a lot like trust, something that Leah did not give easily and for very good reason.

Also, the very fact that Leah had known just what to give her, likely because they shared similar tastes, was another way Leah had opened up. Most people who took Leah at face value might assume that her tastes in literature would include man-hating, bra-burning female authors whose sole purpose in life was to level the playing field between the sexes in the most ball-busting way they could manage. But just because she happened to be a strong woman with a reasonable reticence when it came to the male gender did not make her a bitch.

She had every reason in the world for her wariness, but she was deliberately leaving a crack in her armor for Bella to creep inside.

And Bella wasn’t about to let the opportunity get by her.

>}:{<

“-so when I told him that he must be _so_ _high_ to ride this ride, he pretty much tucked tail and scampered off because apparently all those cute little gym-rat muscles did not come with a respectable helping of sense. I mean, I _did_ try to let him off easy but he didn’t want to hear it.”

Bella laughed helplessly at the image Leah had painted. That last time she had been in Port Angeles a dumb jock (one that sounded eerily like the one who had harassed her that one time in the theater with Paul) had hit on her and refused to take Leah’s polite rejection. You can’t exactly help who you are attracted to and Leah just so happened to only be attracted to guys at least as tall as she was. It wasn’t so bad when she had been five foot seven, but it was eons different when you were nearly six foot two.

Not that there weren’t plenty of tall, good looking guys about. It was just hard when the very best looking of the lot happened to have an all access pass into your head. Leah had pretty much spurned every mirror in existence while naked, because having _that_ image running rampant through the pack was not something easily stomached, despite how many times the _guys_ had gotten in trouble for streaking. It was so much different for a girl because they were just so much harder on themselves than anyone else could ever be.

And Bella could not be more grateful for the fact that Paul’s head was on lockdown because she _never_ wanted to see Sam’s face if he had to watch her have sex with her boyfriend. _Both_ of them would be traumatized for life…

Leah took a sip of her Pepsi just before an idiot nearly sideswiped them when attempting to get into their lane before looking to see if it was occupied. Leah let out a nasty word before lifting a slim finger at the man who had turned to hurl abuse…only to stop and goggle because there was this _heartbreakingly_ beautiful woman with a snarl curling her full lips and her eyes narrowed threateningly. Bella imagined that that image would be fodder for the guy’s spank bank for years to come because Leah could make even intimidation look sexy.

The girls were on their way to the mall, because Leah had a desperate need for a few new bras. She was long past the stage of spontaneously Phasing, but all of her good ones had been consumed during the learning phase and she had been getting by on ill-fitting sports bras and she was tired of Target specials.

And all the while they had been talking. Surprisingly, they actually found quite a lot to talk about. Didn’t hurt things that Leah was a secret nerd. She loved comic books and science fiction shows…both of them agreeing that Firefly had been the best thing in the world before it got short-changed. Trueblood and Dexter were shared guilty pleasures. Sherlock was just about the most amazing show currently in production. Ray Park was worthy of worship for his amazing martial talents and was, in fact, the only worthwhile part of Star Wars: Episode One.

But Leah had also warned Bella that if she spilled the beans on her nerdiness, she would take vengeance…somehow.

That was enough for Bella to promise to keep the secret, because a vengeful Leah would be a terrible thing to behold…she saw what happened to the twins when one of them had crossed her. It had been near the beginning of the boys joining their little group and the Pack had still been having trouble telling the two adorable assholes apart. But because of that, when Pierce had hidden Leah’s stash of emergency clothing after a patrol, he and Pierce had _both_ paid for the fact that Leah had been forced to sneak through the woods in the nude to get home.

Once they had parked and gotten to the shopping, Bella actually felt the urge to look for things for herself while Leah was in the dressing room. Nothing terribly racy because that just wasn’t her, but something maybe a bit more girly than usual. Blush pink stretch satin that would flow with her body nicely. Soft icy-blue lace that reminded her of Paul’s eyes. Eye popping red just because she could. And she had taken Leah’s advice to purchase her things before the Wolf returned because if Leah caught sight of anything, there was no way to hide it from her brothers. Neither one of them would ever hear the end of their bitching if they saw it through the Pack-mind. Not to mention if any of the other who were _not_ her brothers saw it…Paul might feel inclined to maim and/or blind them on principle alone. Then there would be Sam, who might actually have a _legitimate_ freak out over his little sister wearing sexy panties because, you know, _Paul._ Besides, the twins had pretty much tattled about the Alpha’s favorite little chastity belt wish.

Finally, they were both on their way to the Barnes & Noble where Bella was delighted to find all fourteen of the remaining of the books in the Dresden series in stock. Yeah, she had been intending to only buy a few, but…this was like a sign from the gods of awesome literature! She didn’t even hunch her shoulders in shame when Leah had snickered at her for the huge stack of books. Of course, Leah had then admitted that she had done exactly the same thing. Because in all honesty, Jim Butcher was God.

They were slowly wending their way towards the front when Leah spied the graphic novels and began hunting through them till she picked up a Deadpool classic collected edition. Bella just sighed, before glaring. “Really?” she deadpanned.

Leah just smirked back while Bella grabbed one for herself, because the mouthy merc was another weakness of hers. Seriously, how could you _not_ love Wade Wilson? He was adorably cracked. Bella blamed Quil entirely for her addiction because he had begun feeding her comic books during the early days of her recovery, because there for a while her attention span had been pretty much crap and comic books were about all she could manage. They were both absolutely pumped for the movie set to come out soon, though Quil wasn’t so sure about Ryan Reynolds ability to pull it off. Bella had scowled and told him to shut his face because the travesty that had been Green Lantern hadn’t been the actor’s fault at all.

Leah agreed with her when probed for her opinion, because Reynolds had pretty much proved he was awesome for horribly hysterical mouthiness in Blade: Trinity. Green Lantern was just…best forgotten.

Bella winced at the grand total when they checked out, but swallowed her dismay because she also wasn’t willing to give up on any of her haul. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t read everything and once again…see: Book Addict. She was thankful that she had already gotten the minimal homework assignments done because she knew she was pretty much going to be living in Chicago via Harry Dresden for the rest of the weekend. Sans Paul-time, of course.

Lunch was different and fun, because Leah wasn’t like the boys in the Pack…she didn’t order copies of the same dish. She ordered a variety and between Bella and herself, there was a veritable smorgasbord to pick from and Leah wasn’t stingy. Maybe it was a male Wolf thing, but Leah didn’t growl when Bella happened to find the same thing delicious, just ordered a second helping so that there was more than enough. It was really the logical thing to do. Strangely enough, one thing Leah actually had in common with Paul was the part here she was insistent that Bella get her fill before she finished everything. There was no feeling that Leah was somehow deferring to Bella as a superior (because she really _wasn’t_ ) in their Pack hierarchy…it felt more like she was being looked after by the Alpha female. True, Leah was only a couple of years older than she was, and Bella wasn’t exactly a cub in any case, but it still…felt nice. Because Leah cared enough to do it.

And yeah, Bella was pretty aware that she was internally fangirling over the entire day, and likely would continue to do so for a while to come, but this was _Leah_ …the person who Bella had always admired the strength of.

Even in the beginning when Leah was actively _trying_ to be a bitch because it was the easiest way to chase off those who might hurt her. Bella had flinched at the hostility…until she had noticed Leah was doing the very same with the words coming out of her mouth. As if _she_ didn’t like the things she was saying, but was lashing out anyway. It had taken a day or two of thinking on Bella’s part, before she realized a few things. Leah wasn’t hostile because she was mean. She was scared and hurting and doing what Bella should have done for herself a long time ago during her relationship with Edward… _defending_ herself, even if it was in a misguided fashion. She didn’t crumble and break into pieces despite how shattered she had been. She had simply hidden her weakest parts until she could put them together in a way that would insure they would not be lost.

After that, Bella had refused to take her words at face value and treated her with as much respect as she deserved. She didn’t probe Leah’s wounds like the males did, even if most times what they did was accidental, just did her best to treat the female Wolf like she was human and worth caring for. She didn’t push herself on Leah, just accepted what the other girl gave her and was delighted when the Wolf stopped feeling like she had to defend herself from Bella…because she wasn’t any kind of a threat to her.

Which lead to now as they drove down the road to the fishing supply shop where Harry had ordered a new fishing pole. He was dying to have it, but was unable to pick it up because he had caught a nasty cold and Sue had put him on lock-down and was now mother-henning him to death. Ever since the man’s heart attack, Sue had finally been able to convince her husband that he needed to be pro-active about his heart…his _health…_ before they all lost him. It also hadn’t hurt that Seth of the flowers and daisies and happy-puppy mentality had quietly declared that if he didn’t listen to Sue, then he would happily tie his own father down until he decided to see reason. Because not even ultra-passive Seth was above doing the shit that needed to be done to get the necessary result.

Leah had been so fucking proud after she heard about it that she had bought her brother the video game he had been eyeing from afar with heart-eyes.

But another thing she and Leah had in common? A deep, abiding love of classic rock. And Leah had a damned good voice as she and Bella belted out songs accompanied by the radio. Bella raised her arms and danced in her seat, her companion doing her best to keep singing despite the huge grin on her face and the shake of her shoulders as she held in the laughter that tried to escape. Because you _had_ to dance to Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir. It was just a thing.

And she absolutely did _not_ let herself get flustered when the guy in the car next to them made helpless sheep-eyes at her as she did so. Because Bella was going to start owning herself if it was the last thing she did. She had so many people who believed in her, it was far past time she started doing the same.

Later that evening, long after Leah had dropped her off and they had made tentative plans to hang out again, Bella proved herself correct because she spent the rest of the afternoon and evening buried face first in Fool Moon, the second book in the series. She was vaguely aware of when Charlie got home because he had come in and kissed her on the head before going upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes. She barely registered when he asked if the television would disturb her, waving him off because very little could disturb her when she fell into a book deep enough. She did hear him chuckle to himself from time to time as he glanced at her, because Bella was also a very active reader…she tended to make facial expressions, sometimes mouthing a line or two spoken by the characters in her book.

She had become _so_ involved, in fact, that when Paul finally arrived, she actually scarcely noticed beyond the low laugh he let out before scooping her up and carrying her up the stairs, halting just long enough for her to grab her bag of books when she had squawked a protest. She did hear him move about and head off for a shower as the book wound to a close. She really wasn’t ignoring him, but she was almost done, dammit! Just had a couple of pages to go!

She was just setting the book aside when Paul returned and she smiled at him in proper greeting this time.

“Good book, I take it,” he asked as he settled in next to her.

Bella scooted over and cuddled into him. “Seriously one of the better series I have gotten into. It’s about a wizard named Harry…not Potter…who lives in Chicago. It’s kind of like magic-flavored crime-noir. The author has a fantastic writing voice and there is just so much great irony and outright zaniness that you can never really predict what’s going to happen other than Harry is likely to do something that will backfire horribly. He’s a smart guy, but easily distracted by what admittedly is likely an awesome pair of boobs.”

Paul glanced at her from the corner of his eyes before he gently flicked her nipple, causing Bella to squeak while a sly smile curled his lips. “Aren’t we all?”

Bella scowled at him and retaliated, poking a pec that did not bounce like she had and then scowling even harder when he laughed. But she couldn’t hold the expression for long and caved, laughing with him.

Still, he must have caught her sleepily eyeing the third book, because he plucked it up off her bedside table and pulled her up so she could sprawl across his body before taking a page out of Quil’s book and began reading it to her. And as much as she had adored it when Quil had done it, it was somehow even more special when Paul did it, because for _this_ particular Were actions spoke much louder than words. He told her he loved her, and she absolutely believed him, but words were just words. Simple things like listening to his mesmerizing voice change the tone of Harry’s narrative from stubborn and exasperated to vaguely suggestive, listening to him laugh as the detective once more got himself into trouble because it just followed along behind the wizard like a massively destructive toddler after a puppy…these were things he shared with her because of that love.

And laying there, listening to his heart beat in a slow, steady rhythm under her cheek…warm from the heat of his body and relaxed because he wasn’t tormenting her that night, Bella made it all of two chapters before she couldn’t hold her eyes open any longer. She buried her face against the side of his neck, felt the subtle vibration of his low laughter, and finally heard the soft click of her lamp being shut off.

>}:{<

Monday rolled around and Bella was back in class. The teachers treated her like she was a bit fragile, which was a tiny bit irritating but a small price to pay for her freedom! She realized that it was kind of sad that she much preferred going back to school than staying home and lying about in bed, but honestly so much time to herself had kind of…okay, fuck it, _really_ boring!

She had reached for her book bag as she clamored down from the stool before hurrying out into the hallway just in time to catch sight of Cody, who was walking towards the cafeteria hand in hand with his girlfriend Jamie. She hadn’t seen him since the week previous and rushed after him, calling his name. “Cody!”

The pair turned to face her, letting her catch up.

“Hey! Bella!” Jamie said with a big smile. “It’s good to see you back on your feet! You freaked everyone out when you checked out like that.”

It was actually very disarming that the other girl wasn’t dancing around what happened. Didn’t make a big deal over it, either, just saying it like it was. “Yeah…wasn’t my favorite day, either.” She turned and looked up at the young man. “I wanted to thank you for your help. And the flowers…and the fact that they weren’t roses,” she concluded with a scrunch of her nose.

Cody just laughed. “Angela said that you weren’t a fan of roses and I learned a long time ago that when a gal tells you a preference it’s best to listen before things get ugly.”

Jamie snorted. “Cody’s got three older sisters…I think it was just a matter of self-defense, because not even his size would save him if they all ganged up on him.”

Cody just smiled, and it was telling that he didn’t disagree. And Bella, who normally did not feel comfortable invading the space of those who had not given express permission (probably a good plan in general when one associated with the supernatural types who might take such an action as aggression) found herself reaching up and wrapping her arms around the blonde’s neck in a hug. “Really…thank you. I know she would probably had tried, but I just can’t see Angela carrying me for any distance.”

Likely _because_ of those sisters, Cody was very good at giving hugs that did not turn awkward, just chuckling again, a sound that was mirrored by Jamie. “Not a problem, darlin’. Good to see you back.”

Then the two were once more on their way to grab lunch.  

Angela was just emerging from the classroom Bella had just escaped from, having stayed back for a moment to discuss something with Mrs. Walters, and both girls turned and headed for the front door on their way to go get lunch. They chatted all the way to the drive-through about how Angela’s brothers had finally learned to play with the fact that their mother could be tricked over who was who. Bella was laughing…even if internally she was preoccupied.

Truthfully, she really could have had better timing. Maybe it was because she was trying to force her way through her own modesty that she missed the obvious…that Angela had just pulled in a mouthful of Dr. Pepper, when Bella finally blurted out: “So…I’m thinking about seducing Paul.”

The poor girl spewed soda all over Bess’ dashboard and windshield before she attempted to cough the rest of it back up from her trachea. She blinked a few times, eyes wide as she got herself back together.

“Sorry,” Bella said, lips curved into an apologetic smile as she handed Angela a handful of napkins while helping her mop up the mess.

“Um…yay? With a side of it’s about time, but…also…wow.” Angela wasn’t really the babbling type, but Bella had managed to bring it out of her with her sudden and random pronouncement.

“It’s…well…I was laying in that stupid hospital bed after the surgery and…it was like things were suddenly really clear. Like, I could see all the parts in my life that I wanted to change, because yeah dying from appendicitis is _really_ rare…but it could have happened. Especially since I didn’t help things by ignoring the friggin’ obvious and just going to see Sue.” Bella sighed as she pulled back into traffic, agitatedly munching a french-fry. “But, it’s like, I spent so much time wishing that Paul could see me as more than a friend and trying not to treat him as a sex-object, and then all the sudden he _really_ wants to change things, and I’m all ‘ack, oh God, my boyfriend wants sex, must retreat behind propriety!’.”

“Bella…”Angela began hesitantly, “Just because he wants it, doesn’t mean you are required to _do_ it…you know that, right?”

Bella actually chuckled. “Very aware, but thanks. So far past not wanting to at this point, that it’s kind of ridiculous. Really didn’t help that he was kind of a jerk all week and made it painfully clear just _how_ available he was if I wanted it…all the while knowing that I _couldn’t_ do anything because Dad made that rule.”

Angela breathed out and pushed up her glasses in an attempt to hide her blush, because holy cow…Paul was pretty insanely hot when he wasn’t trying. Just the thought of him actually offering it up was kind of… “Wow…”

“Yeah…” Bella returned. Because as much as she was plotting to make it happen, it _was_ still a huge deal. There was no way it _couldn’t_ be. “So…I was trying to figure out where to…you know…get started and all. And, well…he’s made it pretty clear that he…um…” She glanced a bit uncertainly at the other girl, not sure if she was oversharing. She knew that Angela took her faith seriously…but she was also pretty much the sister she had never had.

Angela smiled at her. “Bella, you know I’d never open my mouth. If there is any way I can help you out, here, let me know…short of like…taking pictures or filming anything.”

Bella choked on a laugh as the tension was broken. “Okay…fair enough. So, I was thinking that since he’s got a thing about…getting his mouth on me,” she hedged, because that was the best she could think of without blurting out what the Were had _actually_ said. “that I could…maybe go get everything waxed off. Special occasion and all.”

She didn’t dare look at Angela, and got the sense the other girl was very carefully not looking at her either. “Um…have you ever had anything waxed? Because I’ve heard it’s kind of painful.”

“Used to get my legs done with my mother when I lived with her. It was one of those strange mother/daughter things, like somehow inflicting pain on ourselves together was a bonding thing.” Bella rolled her eyes good-naturedly. She loved her mom to death, but sometimes she had interesting ideas.

“Well, there is a place in Port Angeles that I’ve heard good things about. I’ll go with you…if you want? Back up or moral support or something. Won’t be following in your footsteps or anything,” Angela said quickly, and Bella didn’t blame her, because she herself wasn’t really looking forward to having hair ripped from her body again. But she also kind of wanted to make things memorable for both of their first times. And yeah, she knew it was probably pretty silly, and Paul would never ask such a thing of her, but doing something special for the occasion kind of appealed as well.

“Oh,” Angela continued. “Might want to make an appointment soon, if it needs to happen…well, soon. It’s called The Strip, and apparently the girl who does the waxing is in pretty high demand.”

Bella nodded. “Yeah. I’ll do that on the way home after school.” She was hoping they had time on Wednesday because she had heard that giving such sensitive wax-jobs twenty-four hours to settle down was a good idea. If she did it later, Paul might notice something before she was ready for him to and she wanted it to be a surprise that he could ‘have’ right away…not have to wait for.

Back at the school, the girls separated for their next period after lunch, and even Bella had to laugh at the sheepish way Angela wished her luck…because, really, what _else_ do you do when your best girlfriend is plotting to lose her virginity when seducing pretty much the hottest creature on two legs?

_Yeah…she didn’t know, either…_

>}:{<


	33. Sugar - Maroon 5

a.n. This is your red-band warning…abandon morality all ye who enter

>}:{<

Bella thumped her forehead against the desk as she waited for the day to start.

Yesterday had been just as uncomfortable as she had anticipated when she and Angela had showed up for the appointment. The receptionist had been very kind when she described the level of pain to expect after asking if Bella was a Brazilian-virgin after Bella had explained what she wanted done.

Thankfully, Bella had an amazingly high threshold for pain after her many and various accidents over the years and a general idea of the discomfort involved given the many times she’d had her legs done in the past.

Angela had come with her just like she had offered, but instead of sitting out in the waiting room, she’d pulled up a stool and twisted it around so that she only had a view of Bella’s face while the beautician quickly denuded her friend of everything from the waist down. Because seriously, why bother with only waxing the private bits if the legs were hairy? She’d held Bella’s hand while she squeaked from time to time and struggled not to twitch with discomfort. Angela and the woman shared the occasional giggle at the sounds Bella had been making, because even _she_ had been aware of how ridiculously silly she sounded…like a chipmunk with a mouth full of acorn. It also hadn’t helped things that a stranger had been getting a great deal more personal with her private bits than anyone else besides her gynecologist ever had since her diaper-days. Freakin’ _awkward_ …

Still, she hadn’t been about to deny the relief she felt when the beautician finally announced that she had pulled the last strip before rubbing in the hair inhibiting cream. Then she’d given Bella a gentle pat on the back before stepping out of the room.

Bella had very carefully gotten to her feet, irritated with the redness of her legs and _other_ parts even though she knew it would fade soon.

She’d hugged Angela for being there with her, then she’d gone home and packed her bag for her stay at Paul’s place. Then added a few things that she had found that might be… _interesting_. At least, she _hoped_ they would be, because she didn’t really know what kinds of things he found sexy other than _her_ and getting her naked. It wasn’t really anything that she had ever actually considered asking him before for some reason. She knew damned well what she found sexy on _him_ and that was as little as possible. But it had felt kind of strange to be going into the situation she was setting up for without knowing simple things like what his favorite color was or if he liked satin or lace best. If he was more prone to wanting things long and slow or quick and hard. What his specific kinks were and where did they maybe mesh with her own. She’d already discovered that Paul had a rather intriguing hint of an oral fixation that seemed entirely focused on _her_ and that he was not terribly picky about how he satisfied it.

But thinking about it had pretty much put her back into a state of frustration because she was a day away from finding out and shit out of luck until then. Paul was patrolling that night and not phone accessible unless it was an emergency. Besides, she just _knew_ that if she tried to talk to him while aroused, he’d figure out that _something_ was up. It likely wouldn’t take him long to figure out _what_ , and then he’d be utterly merciless. No…far better to just suck it up and try and put it from her mind.

Dinner had been fairly easy, and thank God Charlie didn’t notice that she wasn’t quite as comfortable as usual. She’d never have been able to straight-face an answer, especially since he would likely want to know the reason why she’d done it. Yeah, no…no thank you. She loved her dad to pieces but she wasn’t quite ready to have the ‘I’m having sex’ talk with him just yet. She’d been careful and gotten the safety part of it taken care of…the gynecologist had been hesitant to fit a girl of her age and lack of ever having been pregnant with an IUD, but Bella wasn’t exactly going to be promiscuous and Cytotec had made things go much more smoothly than she had been warned they might. She’d not really been able to explain to the woman that Paul was also completely incapable of harboring diseases so she had borne the accompanying lecture about how an IUD would do nothing against STD’s with good grace.

And lying in bed much later, long after she had hugged Charlie goodnight and wished him a good trip because he’d left at the buttcrack of dawn just that morning for the airport, she’d found herself unbelievably restless. It really shouldn’t be such a huge thing, people lost their virginity every day. Paul certainly didn’t seem to put much store by his own. And Bella had supposed that she was incredibly lucky that _her_ first time wasn’t going to be some hurried, shameful thing in the back of a car with a guy who couldn’t give a fuck less for her after having pressured her into giving something she wasn’t ready to part with.

Still, there were _other_ considerations…like the logistics of everything. How would she go about getting him on the same page, other than just blurting out ‘can you please have sex with me now’? Cause as much as she was _ready_ …she was just stuck on _starting_ everything. She had never been a flirt to tease a guy with it, never been all that comfortable discussing the topic with _anyone_ beyond the generalities. Paul had never pushed her…just kind of carefully prodded her boundaries until she chose to reshape them. Even his _dastardly_ actions the week before when she had been bedbound and unable to take him up on it had been more invitation than demand.

Still…it was Paul…he might not be the type to take what he wasn’t invited to have, but she suspected that if she could just figure out _which_ flag to wave in front of him, he’d quite happily charge. No questions asked.

_But **which** flag…fuck. _

She wasn’t geared to be overtly sexy…just trying made her feel awkward as crap. Paul didn’t seem to have a problem with her… _lack_ …but then again he was carrying enough of it for like fifty people so maybe it equaled out…kinda. And seriously, getting to finally indulge her curiosity about the parts of him that she’d been squirrelly over before was more than enough incentive for her to try and put her insecurities on the back burner.

But that was last night.

Now, she was sitting in class trying to calm her roiling nerves. It wasn’t second thoughts…more like addendums to current thoughts. Would he like what she had done for him, or would he feel like she was trying too hard? Yeah, it was a bit late to be worrying about that, but she was having trouble putting a stop to it. She couldn’t really see _him_ being nervous about anything between them, either…because it was kind of like he just didn’t know _how_ to be. He didn’t seem to have moments where he wondered what he should do next, if she would enjoy something or not, if what he was about to do would turn out pleasurable or awkward. He just seemed to… _know_ what he was doing and where to touch and what she would like and how much she could handle. Like he just had some kind of instinctive internal sex-gauge that fed him information on everything that she might enjoy.

Still, learning what made him ‘pop’ as it were, wasn’t really a hardship. It was pretty much the most amazing privilege that Bella could think of.

She knew he was very tactile. That he liked to kiss. That he loved being stroked anywhere and way she wished to touch him. He also seemed to love every sound he could manage to pull out of her, taking pleasure in the way she would completely forget everything but him and his touch. He was nothing close to shy, something he had more than once used to make her blush wildly…another thing he liked. The way she pulled at his hair when he did something that felt particularly good. The way she wasn’t really able to keep her hands off him now that she knew he was game for it.

And that right there was ‘the flag’ that she had been looking for. The thing that tripped Paul’s sexual triggers. Honest reactions. Honest passion. It was the reason that he had toyed with her so freely all last week…because not only had she not offered up any sort of rejection to his actions, she had _enjoyed_ them without worrying about what he would think of her for it. And the thing that would likely snap his leash the easiest was simply the knowledge that she was completely willing and open to his advances. No hesitation. No fear. No inhibitions. And if she were going to be honest about, watching him giving in to his own desires was pretty much the hottest thing she had ever seen in her life. Something in her simply relished being the one to put that look on his face. That was definitely something that she was determined to see again, and absolutely the best motivation she could think of to stop freaking out about this.

But even after she had mentally squared things away, she still had trouble concentrating though the rest of first and second period. Yeah, she still had a healthy level of nervousness, but she could compartmentalize. She was damned good at it. That wasn’t the issue.

What _was_ the issue was the fact that there had been a…side effect…of going completely bare that she hadn’t known about. Something that was causing her to twitch from time to time, though thankfully not so badly that anyone asked her why she was fidgeting. Because no one had thought to mention the fact that she’d be so freakishly… _sensitive_. She didn’t even have to be _thinking_ about sex and her body was reacting crazily. Just the friction of her underwear against the unfamiliar nakedness of her vagina was pretty much driving her batshit. It wasn’t even so much that any of it felt particularly good or anything, just completely unignorable.

And she couldn’t seem to turn it off!

By the end of lunch, she was actually starting to worry that someone was going to be able to _smell_ her. She was damned lucky none of the Wolves went to Forks High, because there was no question that they’d have picked up on it. It was uncomfortable and embarrassing already…having anyone else know about it would have likely made her want to bury her head in the snowy ground and never emerge. She was lucky she hadn’t ruined her underwear by the time she finally scooted out the door at the end of the school day. Angela had just shaken her head at her friend’s quick pace, because she knew what was going on later that evening and it was kind of _really_ inappropriate to wish someone good first-time sex in the middle of a crowded classroom.

The drive to Paul’s house was pretty much more of the same and by the time she was pulling into the garage, she was so ready to yank off her clothes and take a shower to wash away the mess she had become that she could hardly stand herself. Paul wouldn’t be home for hours yet, being due to get off work at midnight, and she really didn’t want to walk around in disgusting underwear until then since it was just shy of three-fourty pm.

Besides, standing under the hot spray was incredibly soothing to her frazzled nerves. The muscles in her back and shoulders relaxed enough that she didn’t feel like a walking advertisement for proper ladylike posture anymore. She didn’t actually allow herself to relieve all the stupid tension in her body, because she wanted to be on even footing with the Were when he finally walked in the door. Yeah, springing all of this on him was likely pretty uncool especially after a long shift dealing with belligerent and drunk college kids. But she’d finally gotten her courage gathered up and wanted to jump in while she felt at her most daring.

So she’d gotten herself cleaned up, and since Paul was still hours away and he kept his home warmer than Charlie did, she wandered around in a long-sleeved thermal, her new pink underwear and a thick-soled pair of slippers that Sam had given her for Christmas. Her homework was thankfully easy though mind-consuming enough to keep her attention for a couple hours. Dinner was cooking in the background as she put the finishing touches on the math assignment, her last project for the night. She’d nibbled absently at the chicken as she’d worked, but ultimately had been forced to put it all in the fridge for later because her stomach was tied up in too many knots for it to go down easily.

Unfortunately, she was once more beginning to feel the effects of her now seemingly brilliant idea. She was restless and on edge as she curled up on his giant comfy couch in front of the fireplace. She was tempted to try and start a fire just to enjoy it for a while, but she didn’t really want to deal with putting it out again. She did her best not to move too much because she really didn’t want to become a mess once more. She felt tension shivering across her skin like the twitching of a skittish horse. She was anything but cold…maybe a little _too_ warm to tell the truth. She felt flushed and strange inside her own body…like things didn’t fit quite the way she was used to.

She knew what arousal felt like but this was something else that she wasn’t sure how to deal with. This strange empty ache inside of her as if she were missing a part of herself that no amount of wrapping her arms about her body or squeezing her legs together was able to relieve. She couldn’t ignore it and definitely couldn’t wish it away for the time being. She wasn’t even sure that trying to take care of it on her own would help things at that point. Because for as well as she knew her own body and what satisfied it the easiest, and even given her limited experience with him, Paul _still_ just seemed able to do it _better_.

She _wanted_ those huge, strong hands on her. Wanted to _feel_ all that smooth hot bare skin against her own. Wanted to wrap herself around him and hold on with all of her might to the wild thing he was just under the surface.

_Jesus, Bella…get a grip_

Thinking about all of that wasn’t going to help her relax. The muscles in her thighs were beginning to ache from being clamped together and so she deliberately uncurled herself from her tight little huddle against the cushions. She stood up and dug into her bag for her current novel before moving up stairs into Paul’s bedroom.

It was a place that was so clearly him. From the rich wine red of the walls to the dark wood of the side tables and dresser, the beautiful old desk in the corner. The heavy bedframe with its twisted and writhing steel headboard. The bed itself was massive and covered in a huge black comforter that she could pretty much happily _drown_ in and _ridiculously_ soft wine colored sheets. The mound of pillows that seemed to have appeared roughly around the time she had begun napping over with the Were. She toed off her slippers, curling her toes against the softness of the rugs layering the floor before flicking on the lamp then hopping up onto the bed and curling up against all those pillows. Pulled the blankets over herself as she did her best to relax. The faint scents of fabric softener and _Paul_ helped settle her a bit while she tried to loose herself in the book. The dim light of the lamp, its wattage low to accommodate sensitive Were eyes, threw soft light across the bed and cast shadows through the rest of the room.

She’d been a little surprised, though happily so, when Paul had first brought her up into the room because it was a very hedonistic place. It just seemed to invite one to curl up and _enjoy_. A book. A cuddle. A nap. Peace and quiet and tranquility with a huge window that looked out into the trees. It almost felt like someone had actually built a bedroom in the treetops. She hadn’t known him very long at the time, and he had gently nudged her into his bathroom with one of his shirts so that she wouldn’t ruin _hers_ while they had worked on Bess all those months ago. She’d barely been able to hold herself back from snooping in his bathroom, the main focal point being a tub that she’d been pretty sure she could _swim_ in. Something had nagged at her faintly that day, though she wouldn’t actually pick up on what it was for weeks to come. Something that was missing in that bathroom.

It wasn’t till one day after he had slowly brushed his cheek along hers when he had appeared to take her out to the movies that that something had once more pricked at her. The utter smoothness of his face against hers. There was no scrape of beard stubble, and she’d never once seen him in need of a shave. And while most of the Wolves were pretty much hairless on those ridiculously broad chests of theirs, Paul was bare everywhere she had actually seen, arms and legs included. He really wasn’t the type to shave everything…his ego was reasonably healthy given what he actually looked like, not ridiculous…and the missing item had just so happened to be any kind of razor.

_She really wanted to find out if he matched in all the places she had yet to see…_

That odd little detail, and his ridiculously perfect looks, had pretty much been the beginning of her suspecting that he really wasn’t all that human. The way he both attracted and terrified in equal measure without effort. The way he moved...easy, silent, and eerily graceful. The strength and speed that even Sam had said was completely beyond any of them…and only growing instead of leveling out. That ‘tattoo’ of his that was never in the same place or position for more than a couple of weeks. His eyes…the way they actually glowed in the dark on occasion, their shape and absolutely impossible hue…the way they had flashed with lightning that was not just shifting color but light as well. Other things like the teeth that occasionally lengthened and sharpened when he was feeling things more intensely than usual. The sounds he sometimes vocalized that were so clearly not born of human vocal-chords. His hair which wasn’t just black, but something that was actually even darker if that were possible. His skin wasn’t just _tan_ , but actually golden in a way that made him look amazing in the sunlight.

And all that inherent, blatant sensuality that he wore so easily. Something that he couldn’t ever really turn off. It was pretty much amazing just to get to watch him move about doing the simplest of things...like walking…or breathing...

_Ugh_ …

Book…it was there to _read_ , not burry her face in while she tried _not_ to get more worked up. Realizing that she had in fact read the last page three times now and that she had very little idea of what had been happening in the story since she cracked it open, she finally sighed in self-disgusted frustration and tossed the book on the nightstand. Reaching out, she switched off the lamp and huddled up under the blankets and did her best to force herself _not_ to think about what she was about to do. Because she was about to get herself so worked up that she was afraid she’d start having a panic attack over something she wasn’t even _scared_ of.                        

Scowling to herself, she began to work on the mental exercise Kyla had given her to try. Feeling the softness of the cotton sheets against her bare legs. The smells of Paul and pine needles and the fabric softener that she had noticed earlier. The sounds of the wind against the window panes. The moonlight creeping through the glass from between pine tree branches. The feel of her heart beginning to relax into a far more normal rhythm. The jumpiness settling into lassitude.

It apparently worked pretty damned well, because it wasn’t all that much later that Bella found her eyelids beginning to take more effort than she wanted to expend to keep them open. She let herself drift away, because it was much easier than lying there in a nervous and twitchy lump.

She had no idea how much time had passed when she came back to wakefulness. No idea what had jerked her out of her slumber like that. Her heart was thundering and she was panting for air, tangled up in the bedding in ways that brought back all the ways _hands_ had been touching her… _everywhere_. She was flushed and aching and _needy_. Shaking from being so close to the edge and then denied because Paul had disappeared when the dream did.

She was so very tempted to shove both hands downward and try to do _anything at all_ to make it stop, when she heard the sounds of the garage door sliding shut. Realizing that had likely been the thing to wake her, she thrust her hands through her wild hair and pushed it back out of her face. She wasn’t terribly worried about how disheveled she likely looked, because she was far too busy trying not to bolt like a panicked jackrabbit.

It wasn’t that she _didn’t_ want this. She just hadn’t figured out what to _say_ to him yet! She was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to be mean and make her drag out diagrams and a bullet-point presentation, or God forbid some finger puppets, but being able to utter anything sexier than a squeak would be awesome…and a great deal less humiliating a memory when she looked back on this in the future. But her mind was refusing to cooperate, whirling wildly with so many ways this could go. Anticipation and nervousness leaving her without words.

She listened to the quiet thump of the door leading to the garage. And somehow she just _knew_ when he sensed that things were happening. It was kind of slightly terrifying when all sound but the thumping of her heart in her chest died away. Because she suddenly realized what she had done.

Paul was an apex predator. It was at the very core of his being and something he harbored absolutely no shame for.

But Bella…she hadn’t really thought things through…because here she was in his home. In his den, if you wanted to be specific. In his bed. Smelling of arousal and nervousness, something that was very similar to fear even though she really wasn’t afraid. That scent-combination likely had drifted _everywhere_ , because she hadn’t once thought about the fact that he would smell her as soon as he walked in the door. She was a little worried about how strong it was likely to be in his bedroom because she wasn’t anywhere close to calm right then. He’d always been very good about curbing his more…bestial…instincts around her, but she was pretty aware that right now she was potentially going to appeal to quite a few of his more animalistic urges.

She was watching the doorway, twisted as she was with her eyes over her own shoulder, when she realized that she was no longer alone in the room. She hadn’t heard a thing, but she could _feel_ him watching her. Then saw his pale catlike eyes flare brightly in the darkness as he prowled forward, little more than a gigantic shadow slowly detaching from the well of blackness. Paul wasn’t stalking her… _exactly_ …but he clearly wasn’t anything close to disconnected from the situation she had accidentally created.

And she realized right then, as she got a good look at the way that his elongated pupils were blown wide open, that she wasn’t going to have to wave any flags or find any words of explanation because the Were was already onboard. Some little part of her, likely the instinctive part that retained enough sense to not want to be defenseless and on her stomach, urged her over onto her back. The motion had Paul pausing for a moment, as if he were contemplating how to respond to that tiny bit of unease. Then his gaze dropped to her legs where they had been bared by the twisted bedclothes, his eyes hooding as his lips twisted into a smile that she had never seen on him before. One that made her nervousness redouble because of the way it made him look so much like a hungry animal that had caught sight of its prey…and the way her stomach tightened in anticipation _because_ of it.

She’d never really thought that just the sight of her bare legs could pull such an expression from any male. They were long enough, curved but strong. Pale. But with Paul watching them shift against his bed like he simply wanted to drag his tongue all the way up the inside of them from ankle to upper thigh, she came to the conclusion that… _maybe…_ she might have managed to seriously misjudge the extent of her appeal to him.

When he was finally standing at the foot of the bed, she had sort of half-expected him to climb up with her. But other than a quick glance up at her through his unfairly heavy lashes before once more focusing on her bared limbs, he made no attempts to join her. And she found herself tongue-tied when he slowly dropped to his knees in utter silence. Watched as he reached out and shivered as his warm hands slowly curled about her ankles, so big they overlapped about the delicate bones. Felt the easy strength in his grasp as he pulled her down the bed until her thighs splayed open to accommodate the width of his body between them.

She found herself suddenly a little too shy to watch him and closed her eyes, feeling the way his hands unhurriedly smoothed up her legs, the way they spanned the surface and his thumbs brushed up her inner thighs. The way those long fingers slid gently up underneath the soft pink fabric clinging over the curves of her hips until it caught over the backs of his hands…then eased down just a bit until her underwear was loose against her thighs. He hadn’t exposed anything all that private yet, but she bit her lip as his thumbs traced the line where the waistband sat low just above her pelvic bone.

It almost felt like he was testing her, feeling out where she was going to draw her new boundary even though she _knew_ he had to at least suspect that she wasn’t going to stop him.

Still didn’t mean that Bella didn’t jump a little when she felt those firm velvet lips of his press up against the inside of her thigh. That her breath didn’t shudder out of her lungs or her nipples furl almost painfully under the soft fabric of her thermal when his lips parted and the tip of his tongue almost delicately brushed upwards across the soft skin. That goose-bumps didn’t rip their way across her entire body when his teeth gently scraped against her just bare inches from the edge of the loose fabric. That there wasn’t a flutter of anxious expectation rippling through her when Paul’s hands finally dragged back down her legs…taking everything with them.

The sound that came out of him when he caught sight of her, whether it was because of what she had done or simply because she was exposed she had no idea, was something deep in his throat that sounded like he didn’t have his need as chained down as she was used to. Funny how that sound made her body want to arch up into him and urge him on and she fisted her hands into his bedspread to keep herself from doing so.

She felt his hands settle back against her hips before he rolled them up against the edge of the bed, her legs pulling up and spreading wider before falling over his shoulders…like he was arranging her in a way to best put her on display. She was almost embarrassed by the quivering in her thighs and the gasp that escaped her when she finally felt the first brush of his lips against her…so soft that it was almost like phantom sensation.

That was all the warning she had before she felt the rough stroke of his tongue and _ohholyfuck_ that felt so much _better_ than good. She’d been partly afraid it would just feel _weird_ , but now she was pretty sure it wouldn’t take all that long for her mind to short out completely when he didn’t pause or even hesitate at the taste of her. The low greedy sound he made as if he just _liked_ it made her tighten her fists just for something to hold on to because that wicked tongue of his was taking its damned sweet time discovering just what bit of her he liked best. She could sense a warm flush that was only a tiny part shyness climb from her cheeks, down her neck, and across her chest as she noticed her body begin to respond to the unhurried tugging kisses and the almost teasing licks along the folds and ridges of her labia…the sharper lashes of the tip of his tongue against her clit causing her hips to jerk slightly like she was being pleasurably electrocuted.

It was strange the way her limbs were beginning to feel so heavy and lightweight at the same time while her heart thundered in her chest. The way she was beginning to feel way too hot inside her own skin and almost mortified by the way her body had begun to weep under his mouth, going slick in a way that she wasn’t used to but he absolutely enjoyed if she were going to go by the way he slowly and thoroughly chased it back to its source. She felt her legs tense up where they draped over him, her toes curling tightly against his back as he finally shifted downward and she jolted as his tongue slowly drove up inside her. The sound she made just then wasn’t something that she had ever imagined coming from her own lips…high pitched…gasping…shocked. She wasn’t even really aware of when her hands untwisted from the bedding and raced downwards to curl her fingers into the softness of his hair, tugging faintly to keep him _right there_ as she dug her heels into his back for enough leverage to arch up against him.

She could hear that familiar rumble of amusement from the male, but she was kind of past caring at that point because she was crumbling to pieces as he pushed deeper. Then she was breaking apart under him and scarcely aware of the cries spilling up her throat.

It was a little hard to think after that, her body relaxing back onto the bed by degrees when she felt her bones going liquid. Bella’s eyes opened slowly, noticing the way the shadows in the room were creeping across the ceiling in a way that honestly looked a bit strange but she was far too disconnected to make out why. Her hands loosened their desperate grip in his hair before sliding slowly down the back of his neck and stroking her fingers along his warm skin.

Consequently, it actually took her longer than she would have expected to realize that while Paul had slowed down to let her brain catch up and her breathing to settle into something closer to normal, he hadn’t actually stopped. Or even more, that she could already feel a renewed spark of want beginning to flare under her skin. She must have mentally misplaced just how easily he’d coaxed her body into release the last time they had messed around, because she could feel herself melting back into the pleasure. He had retraced his previous path upwards and Bella had the sudden and faintly disconcerting idea that the orgasm she’d just ridden out was about to be nothing to the one already building…because _now_ he had her figured out.

Part of her wondered if she should feel self-conscious over the fact that she was apparently _very_ easy to work up as she felt tremors of sensation ripple up inside of her. And he somehow sensed it, because one hand came down and then fingers stroked along the entrance of her body. Yeah, she’d touched herself before but it felt so different when he did it…then it felt absolutely _nothing_ like what she had tried to do when those long fingers of his slowly curled up into her and reached deeper than she had ever anticipated they could. And it was just more sensation overlaid atop the pleasure of his mouth against her as she instinctively squeezed around the unfamiliar intrusion, pulling out another of those arousingly greedy growls from the male. The feel of something actually taking up space inside her felt better than she had anticipated, and he was likely very aware of it because his fingers twisted inside of her and stroked against something so sensitive that her vision momentarily blacked out. And then she was off like a freaking rocket yet again, all sparks and light and explosion and no damned air because she couldn’t _breathe._ Energy was flickering brightly through her nerve endings in a rush and she couldn’t even begin to pull her scattered atoms back together.

Her brain didn’t really come back that time. And she was good with that because her brain tended to overthink shit and she really didn’t want to do that right then because she just felt way too damned good to care. She pretty much felt like she was floating along, only really aware enough to notice when her body pitched upwards before he urged her back down with a hand that brushed up her ribs under the thermal and wrapped around her breast. How warm it was against her skin, how good it felt when his fingers splayed outwards before squeezing, holding her steady against the bed. Something she apparently needed because it no longer felt like her heart was going to beat right out of her ribcage when she felt her whole body tightening up again, her nails unconsciously digging into his shoulders.

Bella had no idea how long it all went on, how many times she scattered and reformed. When she became completely aware again, blinking up into those strangely crawling shadows, Paul was still kneeling at the foot of the bed, cheek resting against her thigh as he watched her face. His eyes were flashing with jagged lightning under heavy lids, a lazy feline smile curving his lips that was somewhere between satisfied and smug. She reached down and smoothed her fingers through the blackness of his hair, watching as his eyes slowly drifted shut at the touch before opening again when she shifted upwards to sit on the edge of the bed.

Paul leaned back to give her room, shaking his head slowly as if to clear it. Exhaled even more slowly and then bounced up off the floor onto his feet…and staggered.

Bella was stunned…because she’d never seen him be anything less than graceful. He shook his head again, harder, a low laugh breaking loose that sounded a bit wild. “…the _fuck_?”

She bit her lip, unsure what to make of his response because he seemed a little more off-center than she could understood or account for. “Are…you okay?”

There was a low growling purr that just _did_ things to her, before he glanced down at her. “Oh yeah…I am _so_ okay.”

“Your eyes are doing that lightning thing again…?” she offered up hesitantly.

He moved closer, seemingly balanced again as he bent over her, hands braced against the bed on either side of her thighs and she felt a funny little thrill down low at the way he’d caged her in. His lips twisted into a predator smile when she shifted in response, her neck craned backwards to keep eye contact. “I’m aware. Feels like... _power_. Just under my skin. Tripping along my nerve endings…and _other_ things.” His eyes dipped downward  and slid over her legs like a caress before lifting back to hers.

She honestly couldn’t help the way her own eyes dropped at his comment, like they had been pulled downward by the mere suggestion that he might be…

Yup… _that_ was so clearly ready for any fun and games she could come up with and she forced herself not to just reach out and touch it because even _she_ was aware that a little finesse was not a bad thing. Still, it was funny that she could actually blush given what she had just let him do.

The Were just laughed at her response, hands shifting up under her butt before he scooped her off the bed with an ease that she still couldn’t quite get her head around. Of course, given the fact that she suspected he could juggle freaking _Suburbans_ if he got it into his head to do so, she didn’t know why she continued to be surprised.

Shoving the thought away for the time being, she wrapped herself around him and held on as he rounded the bed and twisted down onto his back, taking her with him as his hands splayed across her butt in a way that reminded her a great deal of that first time she had shared a bed with him. She crossed her arms across his chest and propped her chin on them, considering him and the way he was pressed up against her lower belly, then narrowed her eyes when she came to a conclusion she’d never really considered before. “That first day I met you. You were awake…weren’t you.”

He snorted. “Might’ve been.”

She snorted right back, because he didn’t even bother to look caught-out. “And putting your hands on my ass?”

He shrugged. “Self-defense.”

Bella sputtered. “How do you figure?”

Paul grinned. “Well, considering that you had already climbed up on top of me and were rubbing against me like a little cat…I _was_ drunk and could really only think of two options at that point. Hold you still or flip you and fuck you.” Another shrug, unrepentant and amused.

She blinked, blushing at what she had done in her sleep. She kind of wanted to deny it, maybe just on principle alone, because she’d thought she had better control of herself. Then she stopped and did a mental rewind, thinking over what he had just admitted to. That it meant that he had _never_ been sexually detached from her…that it wasn’t a gradual thing like she had assumed. “Wait…that first day you-?

“Mmhmm…” He shifted under her before flicking a curl away from her face. “You’re lucky we actually made it out of the parking lot of your school. Almost bent you over the front of the bike.”

She wasn’t even entirely sure that she would have stopped him, because he’d pulled her so completely off balance that day. Spun her head so fast that she’d mentally stumbled all over her own beliefs in what she was looking for in a male. She also should have taken a moment to consider that if Paul was even _half_ as sexually remote as she had heard, that her having a freaking spontaneous orgasm when he got her up against him would have tipped him right off the deep end; because that was really _not_ something he would have failed to notice.

His thumb brushed across her lower lip just before he boosted her up his body. His hand slid up her back before tunneling into her hair, tugging her mouth closer to his. His eyes narrowed on hers for a moment before dropping down to her lips. “Do you have a problem with this?”

“Problem with what?” she got out before he leaned up and kissed her.

It was slow and almost sweet with a touch of something that felt like he was playing with her. And he tasted like… _her._

_Oh_ …

It wasn’t strong…not unpleasant like she’d been afraid of. She’d heard other girls complain about it in the past and how disgusting it was when a guy expected you to kiss them after they went down on you but…it wasn’t. She could still taste _him_ and it was dark and rich as always but now it was mixed with faint tart traces of _her_ and she had absolutely no idea why the thought of that made a possessive thrill dance along her spine. But it _did_. Like it made him somehow more _hers._

Bella had never felt that with Edward…the need to _own_ her lover in some way. To take and _keep_ him for herself. Maybe it was because with the Vampire, she’d always felt like she wasn’t good enough to even love him, let alone be with him. She didn’t understand why Paul made her feel selfish of him, but maybe she didn’t _need_ to understand? Maybe it was just some instinct that she had never had before because she’d never had someone like _Paul_ in her life before. Someone important enough to her that she actually wanted to be strong enough to stake a claim on the male that no one could argue with or break.

Still…no one _else_ knew what it felt like to be held by him. To stretch out across his gorgeous body and soak in his heat and feel all that scarcely caged power just under the surface. The wicked tease of his tongue brushing along her own…or the way his hands were wandering back down over her naked butt and further.

Her legs came up against his waist at his urging and then he was curling his fingers back up into her from behind. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt overheated and aching or why her body automatically clutched against those long fingers in welcome because it was almost _too_ fast. The rasping moan that she hadn’t even been aware of building in her throat came loose as he laid back against the pillow to watch her face while he pushed deeper into her and settled into a slow rhythm that her hips followed. And she was having trouble keeping her eyes open and on his, those pale eyes blowing open once more, but when her suddenly heavy eyelids slid downwards he was murmuring to her to keep watching him.

Then there was so much heat flaring up under her skin, energy rushing through her veins, that when she finally crashed downward it felt like she was sparking like a livewire. Wasn’t terribly sure how long she lay in a melted little puddle, but she _was_ aware enough to snort a laugh when Paul mentioned how soft she felt being bare like she was. She was well past being self-conscious enough to care about how it sounded when she joked that it was supposed to be a surprise present…of sorts. Though she probably should had suspected that he was up to no good when his brows pulled upward into peaks and his lips curled at the corners with the barest hint of dimples.

Which is how Bella found herself upside down with her chin on her hands against his stomach, her legs once more draped against his shoulders and eyes clamped shut after he suggested that she should come up and let him play with his present. Yeah, she could have said no, probably _should_ have because just as soon as he had her settled, on went the lamp and then her absolutely shameless Were boyfriend went… _exploring_.

Still, this should have felt so completely awkward and… _clinical_ …but it really wasn’t. Because Paul seemed entirely too fascinated with finding out what made her twitch and squirm. What made her hips roll under the hand he had on her ass and the one that kept stroking over her…and _herself_ start to babble absolute nonsense. She wasn’t really building up to orgasm, just sitting at a proverbial boil and almost embarrassingly slick under his fingers. It was frustrating and still kind of amazing and she was fisting her hands in the tight black knit against his skin when her nails gently scraped against his abs, sending a shiver rippling along his body under hers. “Sorry!”

His quiet laughter vibrated along her torso where it pressed against his. “I’m _really_ not _._ ”

_That_ was interesting. And _goddamn_ that voice of his because she was pretty sure it was going to kill her. It almost felt like justifiable revenge when she peeled his shirt back to rake her nails slowly and deliberately along his skin. Only that time there was no laughter but a deep rumble that sounded dangerous. And aroused. “Careful,” he growled.

The soft scrape of unnaturally sharp teeth along her inner thigh right before he licked his way across her pretty much spelled out that he wasn’t saying _no_ …per se…just to have a care on what games she instigated before Bella was in even _further_ over her head than she currently was. Because Paul _clearly_ liked it. And somehow that little piece of knowledge just fit in with what she knew of him…that he might just _like_ an edge of pain to his pleasure. She had a sudden brief flash of being back in the shower with him weeks ago during that piece of time she’d blanked out, her back to the wall as she’d bit him _hard_ and how he’d reacted…and decided that rough sex right off the bat with someone like him was probably _not_ the best plan she’d ever heard of.

_But she’d also been right when she’d had the thought that he’d likely ruin her._

She never wanted _anyone_ else to touch her the way he did. Like she was _his_ and he was going to make sure her body never forgot that. Or maybe she was actually ruined the day she had met him? The day she had taken him by the hand, led him into her home and curled up with him like he was safe. He’d climbed under her skin in a way the Vampire never would have been able to because Edward was all sweet romantic talk and empty promises. Paul was pleasure and hunger and addictive warmth in a way that Edward never could have competed with.

So she settled against him, stroked her fingertips down his bare stomach and just under the waistband of his pants as he rolled her hips back into his mouth. Then slowly reached for the buckle of his belt. She knew he wasn’t likely to stop her, didn’t even really know why she felt so nervous about doing this. He certainly hadn’t hesitated with her.

It came open easy enough and she pushed it out of the way before beginning to work at the top button of his fly. She fumbled it a bit, mostly because she wasn’t really used to doing it from that angle, then got it open before going after the next one. Of course, it was also possible that her hands were shaking due to the faint roughness of his tongue as it stroked across her clit. She didn’t know why she actually thought he might not be paying attention to what she was doing, but she blinked as his hands pushed hers out of the way and finished the job for her. Then he was twisting his hips sideways to give himself room, exposing a huge black paw that looked like it was clawing its way up his body from his thigh…that ever-moving tattoo of his.

One hand brushed down her forearm towards hers, curling his fingers though hers before leading their linked hands down and wrapping them around himself after he’d pulled himself free. He squeezed, mutely encouraging her to do the same, then left her to discover whatever she wanted.

She wasn’t really sure what she’d been expecting…maybe something that was a bit warmer than normal skin and firm given what it felt like pressed against her. But he was hot in her hand, heavy and solid and _thick_ under her grip. She wrapped her other hand around him, one stacked atop the other and…yeah…it was pretty much ridiculous how much he overfilled them. All that crap about one-thrust-entries during sex in any smutty novel she had ever managed to stomach reading? Yeah, _that_ was such utter _bullshit_ , and _soooo_ never going to happen.

She felt him laugh and scrunched her eyes shut, realizing that she must have said at least part of that out loud. “You really are a flattering little thing,” he purred.

“It’s not _my_ fault that your dick is absolutely huge!” she sputtered defensively.

“That’s cute…and I’m pretty sure it _is_ your fault. Never been a time it _wasn’t_ your fault.”

“That’s not _exactly_ what I…meant…I mean… _ohfuckingcrap-_ ” she stuttered out, hips rolling wildly when Paul apparently decided he was done talking and licked his way back up inside of her. It was sudden and sharp and so stupidly good that her brain kind of stuttered for a moment and went blank. She could hear herself making sounds that she would normally wince over…and she didn’t actually care. Wasn’t worried about what it made her sound like or why he was so freaking capable of making her feel like she was going to die if she didn’t cum again in the next ten seconds because that wave of pleasure she’d been riding ever since he’d flipped her back over was now just inches beyond her reach and not getting any closer.

It took her a few minutes to realize that her hands were restlessly stroking up over the thick, veined shaft she’d been so curious about for so long. She blinked and forced her pleasure-glutted mind to stop whirling, because he apparently wasn’t letting her topple over the edge, and pay more attention to what she was doing…because it was actually kind of amazing. He wasn’t completely smooth as she gently squeezed him, discovering the ridges under the unexpected softness of his skin. That could feel all kinds of good, she thought absently. And yeah, he was just as bare as she’d suspected.

She kinda wondered what the hell had been wrong with her to wait so long to do any of this with him. Seemed like so much wasted time, though he appeared to be making up for all of it she decided, as she reached up and peeled the shirt off that was beginning to stick to her skin before going back to her exploration. Because for as many times as she had accidentally seen one of the other Wolves in the buff, this was the first time she’d actually gotten to touch a…penis…beyond what Paul had once distracted her into. It was strangely enthralling, especially when she skimmed her fingertips lightly from the base and all the way up across the blunt tip, watching with wide eyes as it bucked in her hand under the light touch. Then she narrowed her gaze in curiosity when her fingertips came away slick.

She hesitantly brought them up and brushed them across her tongue, trying to not let herself get diverted yet again by what he was doing. And holy hell did it feel like she had all kinds of sparks under her skin ready to light her right up. She really should be protesting being left that far out on the edge like that. And she really was tempted to try and crawl out of his grasp and downward in an attempt to push herself down on him because she suspected that that would be all she needed to detonate the orgasm that was teasing against her nerve endings. But she was shelving that issue for the moment because of the one she had ‘in hand’. She’d heard all about how semen was bitter and nasty. Best while cutting the taste with a can of Pepsi on hand to wash away the aftertaste…at least according to Lauren’s big stupid mouth. Maybe it was because this was Paul and he was just not _human_ enough to taste unpleasant like a normal man would…or maybe Lauren just had really unfortunate taste in guys (in this case quite literally)…but he tasted like something that she would never say no to…faintly tart with just a hint of rich sweetness and something that she absolutely _couldn’t_ label.

Bella watched as her vision blurred along the edges when he found something inside of her that made her want to wilt into a heap of girl and just enjoy what he was doing…but there was a strange, very faint prickle against the tip of her tongue. Like it was just a bit more sensitive than usual, and she couldn’t imagine why that would be so she blew it off. Not her typical MO but she also wasn’t thinking clearly and she knew that. But right then, all she really had brain capacity to process was how she _felt_ …and getting her lips around him.

Because Bella was curious as hell and maybe feeling a bit vengeful and yeah that last one was just an excuse she was telling herself to give herself courage, but fuck it if she wouldn’t take what she could get her hands on. Bella couldn’t imagine a world where a male would refuse a partner from tasting as well and so she bent forward and pressed her lips against him before she licked a slow stripe across the blunt head of him, noting the way he suddenly went still.

It didn’t feel like he was upset by it, at least she _hoped_ he wasn’t…he hadn’t pulled her away. And Bella found that she actually _liked_ the flavor of him as she closed her eyes and drew her tongue across him, intrigued by the softness of his skin over the hardness and the heat and then lower where she could practically feel the beat of his pulse. She pleased by the low groan that drifted closer to a growl and rumbled through him under her before he pulled her back against him again and matched her slow explorations. Bit by bit, he mirrored her one side to the other. She licked a path up the left side of him and he matched her with a soft stroke along the left side of her. She swirled her tongue across the tip, circling the small opening gently and ridiculously pleased when he actually shuddered. Didn’t mean she didn’t do the same when he followed her with a slow curl of his own around her clit.

And when she finally pulled him in, her lips stretching around him and her cheeks hollowing faintly, she almost came out of her skin when he pulled the unusually sensitive bit of her between his own lips with a gentle tug.

She kind of got lost again at that point, forgot to notice when he stopped matching her after his fingers sank back into her…because her own hands were pulling down around him in instinctive rhythm, one after the other from the base of him to where she had managed to take him in. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she had absolutely no technique beyond just wanting him to feel even half as good as she did, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. The rest of her head was too fuzzy to consider anything outside of where she was and _him_ and how he felt and how _she_ was about to come apart if he would just _let_ her.

Then he _did_ and she couldn’t really help the muffled moans and the way she squeezed her hands tighter unconsciously…or the way she felt her mind floating away when he jerked under her and followed her, filling her mouth with his release. She had always wondered if she would be the type to swallow, but apparently she was, not worried by anything at all and enjoying the gentle tug of his hand fisted in her hair. She stopped being aware at all as it felt like her body just gave up trying to make sense of anything and decided that it _all_ felt good and came undone completely.

Her body felt boneless and somewhere beyond relaxed when he pulled her around and cuddled her down into him. His heart was thundering under the hand she settled over it, and amazingly he felt even warmer than usual, like an engine that had heated up after reaching massive RPMs and was now idling.

But she wasn’t. She’d had so much energy before, and she’d had _plans_ , damnit! She really wanted it _all_ , and maybe she was being greedy, but it was like being handed the keys to one of those multi-million dollar racecars and then being told to keep it at a reasonable speed. You kind of wanted to flip a finger at the person telling you no on principle alone, even if you knew it was for our own good. “So,” he said, voice almost conversational under the thrum of lazy satisfaction. “Apparently you had plans?”

How the _fuck_ could she blush?! She couldn’t help grinning, though, because it _was_ a little ridiculous. “Well…I had _parts_ of a plan. I was in the middle of attempting to finish it when you got here.”

He laughed. “Well, partial or not, clearly I _like_ your plans. Do feel free to plot against me some more.”

“I will…as soon as my legs start working again,” she trailed off with a mildly frustrated huff. Because now she was having to fight back a yawn. Strange that she could be so tired _now_ , when she’d been so full of nervous energy before. Or maybe it was like an adrenaline crash. Being so worried and keyed up, nervous, close to panicking and stupidly horny for most of the day…now she was drifting closer to sleep again.

But not so close that she couldn’t enjoy it when he shifted her and kissed her, a languid and gentle thing that made her feel peaceful somehow. “That doesn’t gross you out?” she asked curiously when he pulled back. Because even _she_ knew it was different for a male to kiss right after…well…

He shook his head briefly, just a simple back and forth negation with a faint smile. “Never been squeamish.”

She tilted her head to the side and brushed her fingers along his lips, smiling when they pressed against her fingertips in passing before leaning forward once more and pressing her own against him.

It was funny how she felt so comfortable being with him like this. She’d always felt strange in her own skin…so self-conscious and nervous over her flaws. Like hers were somehow more plentiful and apparent than anyone else’s. She knew most of it was just simply being a young woman, but after how worthless she had felt when she had been left by the Vampires, she’d latched onto those flaws and blown them ludicrously out of proportion. Even if she needed to use an outside source to bolster her own self-confidence, who better than Paul? Because he just wasn’t the pity-fucking _type_.

It was also pretty clear that _she_ was the only person he had any interest in letting in. This was no love-at-first-sight scenario like an Imprint, but something he had allowed to happen because he had just fucking _liked_ her right from the beginning. Liked her enough to let her come to _him_ and give whatever she wanted…even when he wanted it all. He could so easily have overwhelmed her and likely could have talked her out of her freaking panties that first day. But he hadn’t. Because even then he’d decided he wanted something better than an easy fuck from a girl who would have been far too overwhelmed by him to say no.

She didn’t even want to know what she would have done with herself if that had happened. If he had just charmed his way around her defenses and taken everything before leaving her behind. Likely would have run back to her mom and spent a great deal of time hating herself for her weakness; believing herself to be as worthless and disposable as she had always felt after Edward.

“What are you thinking about,” he murmured.

“Just…that I’m lucky.”

He snorted. “Not so sure how lucky you are.”

She pressed her thumb against his lips to silence him. “I know exactly how lucky I am to have you. I don’t ever want you to think I don’t understand that. Even if I don’t know exactly what I _did_ to deserve to get to have you…I know how lucky I am.”

He sat up with her in his arms and looked down at her. “And don’t _you_ ever think that you aren’t worth everything. Some things aren’t worth having if you don’t have to fight for them…and the _best_ things are the ones you would commit bloody murder to keep.”

Bella didn’t have any idea what she had ever done in her life to have earned him, but she wasn’t ever letting him go without a vicious fight. Funny that she wasn’t a violent person, but like he had said…some things were worth it. And he was _absolutely_ worth it.

And as she watched him stand up to strip down for the night, admiring everything that she had never let herself look at before (maybe a paranoia that she shouldn’t enjoy it too much because if she did then she would just lose it?) and admired the soft glow of light against his stunning body before he came back to her. With the Were wrapped around her in the darkness after he shut off the lamp, she felt that happiness she always felt with him…no matter if he was cheerfully messing with her head or not. That sense of belonging that even _she_ knew was a rarity.

So yeah…maybe the sex hadn’t happened, but there was all the time in the world to fix that. She wasn’t any less determined to have him, but now she felt a bit more relaxed about it…like she wasn’t going to expire or wither away if things didn’t happen immediately.

Besides…she could always go after him again the next day…having goals were never a bad thing, after all.

She was still smiling when she finally drifted off.

>}:{<

 


	34. Contagious - Saving Abel

a.n. This is your red-band warning…abandon sanity all ye who enter…I’m going to issue trigger-warnings here…because there are mentions of drug use, mind-fuckery, attempted self-mutilation, casually homicidal curiosity and attempted murder (no one dies, but it’s also not pretty). And Paul is not exactly a darling for part of this…I just hope you can forgive him (and me) for this...

So I started writing this and while doing so I realized that there was SOOO much happening here that I was almost tempted to make this into a few chapters…but I promised…so here it is…in giant size…sorry!

>}:{<

Paul wasn’t really sure when he’d realized what that female of his had been up to.

He remembered sitting with her late that night in the hospital after her surgery and sensing that she’d made up her mind about something. Maybe it was the way she seemed so at ease all of the sudden, or the way she had smiled like she was suddenly determined…despite the drugs in her system making her groggy. Even then, he’d known something had changed for her…something had been decided upon.

He didn’t really like to think about her being in that place, however. It wasn’t fear that had had him stalking down those hallways and following the sound of her voice, it was rage. No one was allowed to make her feel like _that..._ trapped and panicked and _hurting_ because they couldn’t be bothered to _listen_ to her long enough to assure her that Dr. Sparkles and his bitch of a son were not in the building. The look on her face when he’d rounded that last corner was something he knew he’d likely never forgive the staff for, the vulnerability and fear nearly causing him to Phase right there in front of ignorant humans. Because if they couldn’t keep their goddamned hands _off_ of her when she was begging them to leave her alone, he had been fully prepared to _chew_ them off at the wrists.

Watching the nurse try and restrain her further, his hands clamped forcefully on either side of her face in an attempt to make her see _their_ reason, had only enraged him further because no one got to put hands on her without her permission and she was so clearly saying _hell no._ He’d body-checked the man into the wall hard enough to knock the air out of him for his efforts. Fuck him even if he _was_ human and fragile. Treating his girl like she was some stereotypically overwrought woman and needing to be fully restrained for her _own_ fucking good, or worse drugged into compliance, was just not something Paul was willing to tolerate. Especially because as soon as he’d gotten his own hands on her, she’d begun to calm down like he’d tripped a switch. Something so simple as reassuring her instead of yelling over her.

Of course, as soon as he’d bent over her and heard what she was flipping out about, he had absolutely no problems understanding her panic. She was tied down and vulnerable in the same place she had figured out what that glittering piece of shit she’d tried to love actually was. Add in Sam’s worries and it was pretty easy to see why she hadn’t felt safe. So he’d taken a few moments and pulled in the scents around them. Finding nothing of the undead variety, he’d informed her of their continuing absence and watched as the last of the fear drained away, likely helped by the fact that she knew damned well that he wasn’t going to be leaving her alone in a place where she felt unsafe.

And maybe he’d been a bit unsettled before he’d run into the lobby by the fact that Haven had fucking _teleported_ his ass from his office to just inside the tree line beyond the parking lot of the hospital, because that had been disorienting as shit and all of his senses had gone haywire when they had both blinked back into existence. It was so much overload after the steady music and dim atmosphere of the club that when it came rushing in on him his first instinct was to kill what was touching him. In this case Haven with his hand on his shoulder for the connection needed to yank Paul through the other male’s own personal tesseract. And despite the fact that he’d given permission for both the act and the touch, because once Haven had informed him of Bella’s predicament there was damned little that could have stopped him from getting to her, there had been a few moments where he’d had the undeniable urge to slaughter whatever it was that had unsettled him. Then he’d felt Haven’s heavy fist slam against the side of his face for the first time in a very long time. It had brought him back to himself again in quick order just like it always had in the past and Haven hadn’t taken any of it personally…but then again he never had. Not even in the beginning.

Because the very first memory he had of the other male was when Haven had knocked him on his ass one night in a dark alley.

It wasn’t really one of his best days if he were to tell the truth.

It really hadn’t started out all that well, either. He’d stopped keeping any kind of schedule at that point beyond the times that Sam pitched a fit and demanded he run Patrols around the perimeter of land belonging to people he gave no shits about. Existing in a house that he had no good memories of. Still, having a roof to sleep under was not something he was ready to give up just then.

The bed had finally become a reasonable place to sleep since the bitch had left because when she was in residence she had become fond of slapping him into wakefulness. And she was always so much angrier afterword when the bruises she left faded within moments…like he’d managed to offend her because she couldn’t break him properly. Make him cry like a normal kid instead of the freak she’d been saddled with. He’d stopped giving a fuck about her reasoning for anything she did long before his tenth birthday. Though it was a bit longer after _that_ before the smell of her perfume had stopped making him want to break anything he could get his hands on.

_Her_ _most of all._

It was already pretty late in the evening and he’d just come back from the store, the tribe having apparently decided that he actually mattered enough now that he was one of their vaunted Protectors to pay him so that he could eat without having to constantly pick people’s pockets or flat out steal from them. He’d run into a group of girls who had watched him as he’d moved through the store, poking each other and giggling like twits. Even worse was the way he could _feel_ their attraction to him…like some strange extra sense. It always felt invasive and pissed him off because he didn’t want to know, didn’t want to have to deal with that shit on top of everything else. He already had to deal with the fact that Sam’s precious little Imprint Emily was developing an attraction to him and he had to pretend to the man’s face that it wasn’t happening. He was aware that he had hurt her delicate feelings when he had refused to let her feed him but he wasn’t about to encourage her in that shit. She had a mate…one that she had already stolen from her cousin…and it clearly wasn’t him for so many reasons. The least of which being that he could barely stand her.

The girls he had finally dealt with by letting out enough of the dark thing inside of him to change his body language and expression, cold eyes narrowed and his lips pulled into a hungry animal’s smile. They had scattered like a gaggle of frightened geese. The flicker of satisfaction he had felt in the face of their obvious fear had felt good in a strange way that he just didn’t care enough to dissect.

He was never really sure why he’d later found himself standing in front of the mirror in the upstairs bathroom, gazing into his partially distorted reflection in the cracked glass. It was the only one left in the house that he _hadn’t_ destroyed at that point, because he’d gotten tired of the sight of his own face. It had become a persistent source of his anger by then for the way people would see it and then go stupid. Try to touch him…something that generally made him want to break whatever part of them they reached out to him with. Saying no didn’t work most of the time and he remembered so many times when he had claimed self-defense when someone had called the cops after he had gotten physical to keep them off him…the way some of those cops would just laugh it off because he was a big male claiming assault…or the ones who decided he was lying and tried to arrest him only to find out that he wasn’t the type to go easily and couldn’t physically hold him long enough to cuff him.

But even that mirror refused to show him for what he knew himself to be…seriously fucked up behind a face that he couldn’t seem to get away from. Because he’d taken a knife to it more than once. And the knife in his hand right then, small and sharp as the razor he’d apparently never need, was already slicing across his face once more and leaving a sharp burning in its wake. He hadn’t really looked into his own eyes as he’d done it because he was far too familiar with the emptiness in them, one that was growing and spreading deeper every day. And far too familiar with the cold aching in his body, the way everything inside of him felt too tight somehow. The yawning hunger for something he couldn’t ever seem to satisfy snarling over the screaming of the darkness whirling in his head.

He’d mechanically turned on the faucet and splashed water against his bloodied face only to feel perfect skin under his fingers. Glancing back into the mirror, he’d cocked his head to the side for a better look and realized that there wasn’t so much as a scratch for his efforts. Though why he’d even bothered with the knife _that_ day he had no clue…he hadn’t managed to scar himself _before_ then either, though it had generally taken him longer to heal completely before all the Wolf bullshit.

Shaking his head at the futility of his actions, he had sent his fist crashing through what was left of the mirror and into the wall behind it, glass raining down in tiny shards.

And then he was just tired of thinking.

It was dark out after he’d thrown on clothing, covering the faint remaining shadows of the tribally mandated tattoo on his shoulder of a wolf (it had begun fading just moments after he’d gotten it needled into his skin for the fifth damned time, thank you Council Elders who insisted on branding their property and kindly fuck off) and that _other_ one that refused to pick a goddamned position on his body and settle. It always itched a little when it changed positions, bringing his attention to it every time. It had moved just the day before, settling into a crouching stalk across the small of his back, it’s teeth bared. He had absolutely no idea where it had come from…just appearing on his skin a scant few days after his first Phasing.

It had been amazingly easy to block out Sam’s demand of why he was Phased and heading away from the rez, easier still to feel the reluctant relief from the other male that Paul wasn’t making trouble on tribal grounds before he was too far away for the Alpha think of ordering him back. They really hadn’t settled into a workable relationship yet, and he was all too aware of the smaller male’s unease around him…something that tasted far too close to fear and made the demon in his head want to gut Sam for thinking that he could rule him.

It hadn’t taken him long to find his way into the shittier part of Port Angeles. He’d Phased human and then walked out of the emptier places in the warehouse district to stroll carelessly down the street. He’d felt eyes on him though thankfully very few were stupid enough to think they wanted him close to them. The hookers that called out to him with their prices for the night and a few that offered to pay _him_ had eventually scuttled out of his way when they realized that he wasn’t a safe one to engage with. The others had watched with suspicion and occasionally outright terror, though he suspected that was because he was doing very little to disguise what he actually was. He’d kept an eye out for a potential target for the night, finally locating the pair as they had attempted a stealthy trade and drugs with his patner.

He’d seen the way both had startled as he’d stepped out of the shadows, one shoving his hand into his hoody pocket for what looked like a gun. The other had attempted to bluster himself back into control of the situation, sneering at the Were and threatening him to back off and stop eyeing him if he knew what was good for him. But it wasn’t hard to smell the fear on both of them…to see the slow realization that they were not the wolves they had thought themselves to be. It hadn’t been hard to drop Gun-Boy with a quick punch to the head, watching him hit the pavement like a marionette whose strings had just been cut. The second man had jumped, his eyes popping as he realized that guns only work for intimidation when you are conscious enough to use them.

Paul had coolly relieved the remaining dealer of both the wad of cash and most of the stash of Xanax he’d been about to tuck into the first man’s pocket. Then he’d sketched a mocking little bow of thanks before stepping away down the street, eventually ducking into an alley about half a mile away. The cash would get him by for a few weeks because his metabolism was actually higher than the other Wolves. The Xanax, however, he’d begun popping even as he walked down the street and then he was finally relaxing…feeling his brain slowly go numb. He’d keep enough of the pills at hand to keep him going for a while, aware of the fact that his healing and greater mass meant that he had to take enough to kill an ox just to feel anything at all. He used to actually try and calculate how much he needed to keep him going, but when he’d topped four hundred pounds, he’d just stopped giving a fuck. _Not like that was actually all that hard to do anymore…_

Xanax wasn’t really a regular thing for Paul…just something he had discovered that quieted the roiling hatred in his mind, dulled his senses to something closer to human, and let him feel like he could drift for a time. Couldn’t even really get addicted to the stuff because his fucking body flushed all the effects so fast that it made detoxing a breeze.

He remembered sitting with his back to the wall and looking up at the sky, watching the stars and feeling like he could finally breathe right for the first time since he had Phased. It had also been the first time he’d gotten messed up since he’d Phased and he was aware that too much time had passed since he had done it last. He didn’t know why Sam couldn’t just get into his head like everyone else in the Pack, but he was glad because the other male would likely have freaked the hell out at what he would find and he really didn’t want to have to deal with _that_ shit too. Sam would likely try to Order him to give up everything for what he would think was Paul’s own good, not understanding that it was what was keeping him from boiling over.

He’d only scarcely registered the click of the gun being cocked and the barrel being shoved against the side of his head, the shouting of the dealer he’d left behind threatening to kill his ass if he didn’t give back everything he’d taken…the bluster of a man with a gun who had then declared that if a pretty fucker like him wasn’t ‘nice’ to him afterword then he’d blow his head off. Paul had almost been tempted to let him pull the trigger just for the amusement of seeing the human’s face when it did little more than piss him off. But he was enjoying the lack of crazy in his own head just a little too much to give it up so easily so he’d batted the man’s arm aside, only mildly interested in the muffled crack it had made or the man’s scream of pain before Paul yanked him down beside him. He’d had a hand around the dealer’s throat soon after, quieting the sounds as he forced him down on his back next to him.

It took him a few minutes to realize that the man had actually pissed himself as he lay there on the dirty concrete, his good hand scrabbling wildly at the one Paul had around his neck and his legs kicking as he tried to free himself. Paul had shrugged to himself because if the stupid bitch wanted to exhaust what little air he was getting in a struggle he wasn’t going to win, it was none of his concern.

The man tried to rake his dirty nails up the Were’s arm and Paul had squeezed in warning, ignoring the wheezing gurgle. But it was interesting how the sharp spike of fear had made the tightness in his body lessen just a bit. How oddly relaxing it was to feel the man’s absolute terror shiver through the air against his skin. And how easy it was to float away once more with the sounds of the dealer’s thundering heart and the muffled gasps that should have been screams echoing in his ears.

That was right about the time that something hit him like a fucking freight train. He’d gone skidding across the ground and lost his grip on the dealer, stunned for a moment as he’d blinked and shaken his head to clear it. He’d scarcely caught sight of a big male from the corner of his eye before something slammed into the side of his head so hard he’d gone practically cross-eyed as his thoughts skipped their tracks, something probably not helped by all the Xanax he’d thought wryly.

He’d been disoriented when he felt the newcomer hoist him up and toss him over a shoulder with a sigh of what almost sounded like exasperation. Then things went to shit for a moment and he couldn’t feel anything at all and if he weren’t fucked up out of his mind then he might have actually attempted to get loose.

Shortly after the disorientation, he found himself tossed on the ground in a large room that smelled faintly of dampness. Like a basement or a cellar only done in giant size.

Huh.

Someone had actually kidnapped him. He wasn’t sure why the thought really amused him all that much, but the fleeting emotion had caused him to stay where he had been dumped. Still, amusement didn’t mean he wasn’t going to kill whomever had snatched him when he got himself oriented enough to leave, but the consideration would likely make him not rip the bastard into pieces afterword.

He’d lain there on the cold floor, letting his body stay loose and his eyes closed as voices eventually filtered into his dulled senses and he realized that there was actually two of them. A pair of males by the scents of them…scents that honestly confused him. And considering that he didn’t know what had set him on his ass, where he was, and why there were now two of them, he decided to wait them out and see what he could determine.

“So…that’s him, then?”

“Mmhmm.”

“That is one _big_ sonofabitch. Where’d you find him?”” The first voice was deeper than most, southern sounding. And wary.

“In an alley. Choking a drug dealer.” The second voice was British, also deep, and sounded strangely at ease for what had just come out of his mouth.

“Oh fuck…did he actually kill-?”

“No…though it’s likely he would have if I hadn’t found them when I did. I dialed emergency services and left them the location…they should already have him.”

Not that likely for him to have killed the piece of shit…at least not for a while…all that fear had felt _delicious_ …

But why didn’t the thought of killing someone feel all that wrong anymore? He knew it wasn’t something people should do, but it was getting harder to care lately. Hence the Xanax and the desire to stop _wanting_ to cross the line…like the urge was sitting just under the surface and waiting for him to slip up.

There was a sigh, then South started up again. “And you’re absolutely sure about this? It has to be _him_? You know even better than I do how badly this’ll go if you’re wrong.”

There was a snort. “Now when have I _ever_ been wrong?” England had retorted.

“This ain’t a joke, boss! And this ain’t one of your strays! He’s clearly already _well_ beyond fucked up! What if it’s _already_ too late for him?”

“I am very aware of the situation. I’m also aware of how much worse it will get if I don’t step in now. Of how small of a window I have. But I really can’t afford to _let_ it be too late. None of us can.” England had said, voice suddenly coolly determined.

Curiosity had sparked because it almost sounded like they had been aware of him for a while and he wasn’t well-known. And what exactly did they want with him? Why did they feel the need to snatch him? They must not actually know very much about him, because he wasn’t the type to be terribly inclined to let them walk after this despite the entertainment factor of it all. He wasn’t some tame little lapdog to follow along with the wishes of some stupid fuck who apparently thought he could blackmail him.

“Fuck…” South sounded resigned now. There was a faint shuffle of feet before one of them slowly stepped closer and he could practically _taste_ the uneasiness on him. “Should probably get him restrained before he comes to then, I suppose.”

The second voice had chuckled, amusement bleeding through the tone. “I really wouldn’t go near him.”

“You think he’s gonna take it well when he wakes up in a basement with two strangers? That’s kind of nuts even for _you_.” South had sounded confused.

“Who ever said he was unconsciousness?” England had retorted mildly.

Interesting…

“Thought you said you’d punched him in the head?” South had said, now sounding surprised.

“Twice.”  

_That’s what that was?_ Because nothing had ever rattled his head so hard. Not even Sam at his most pissed off had ever come close.

“Then how the fuck is he still awake?” South had said, his voice retreating again as if he had backed away.

Realizing that he’d gain absolutely nothing more by continuing to play possum since they both knew better, Paul rolled his body into a lazy stretch against the floor before twisting up to put his back to the wall. He’d cocked his head to the side as he took in the pair of them: a reasonably tall black haired male with oddly reflective green-gold eyes that actually appeared to share the same oddity as his own, and a taller male with pale blonde hair and sharp golden eyes whose hair appeared to have ice-blue roots. He didn’t look the type for teenaged mall-punk fashions, but then Paul truly had seen stranger things. They also smelled incredibly bizarre to his rapidly recovering senses. The shorter one smelled very strongly of cat, while the _other…_

_Very_ interesting. Because he couldn’t place it. Couldn’t remember ever having come across anything like it.

They were watching him in return. The cat-smelling one looked annoyed, eyes narrowed as he stayed well away from the abducted Were. His companion’s lips were tipped into a faint smile, clearly more comfortable with the current situation than the other male, and apparently the dominant of the two.

Paul had felt his muscles beginning to pull tight in preparation for a fight and inwardly the wicked thing that prowled through his head had growled in anticipation as the Xanax in his system finally burnt off and left him clearheaded. Still, his lips curved faintly as he watched the pair. Observed the way they moved…the minute nervous twitches increasing in the smaller one the longer Paul sat silently dissecting them. Most people found it damned hard to bear up under the weight of his gaze so that wasn’t terribly surprising. What _was_ surprising was the way the blonde looked so completely at ease, one brow hiked in bland question.

Curiosity had pricked at him once more and he’d smiled outright, even if the expression was far from pleasant. Aggression and the urge to see just how badly he could fuck with the them before they made a mistake that he could exploit had him allowing his more vicious tendencies to bleed up to the surface. Watching the dark one flinch in response made the wicked thing coil up in greedy anticipation even as the blonde narrowed his own eyes in speculation when Paul set his gaze on the smaller one. Watched as Cat-Thing eyed him suspiciously…and watched his face go slack as Paul allowed the hollow ache of his constant hunger to creep up behind his gaze, his lips twisting into something that felt far more vicious than inviting. But it really didn’t matter because the male began to step closer like he was being pulled on a leash. The snap of the other male’s sudden attraction to him clicked into place just like Paul had predicted it might, feeding the desire to claw his fucking face off.

He was almost within reach when once more Paul was sent reeling sideways.

“Now now…that’s really not polite.”

Paul sat up again, spat out blood as he glanced up at the blonde now within grasp. England. One seriously strong motherfucker.

He rocked his jaw slowly from one side to the other as the ache of a cracked bone faded, and for a moment he seriously contemplated lunging at his jailor just to see how well he could take a blow as he apparently had no problems dealing them. Eventually he’d adapt to England’s abilities and might even be able to predict them just enough to keep from taking hits.

But it was strange how that last blow hadn’t detonated the poisonous roiling of hatred bleeding through his senses. He was used to the feel of it crawling through him and driving him to hurt everything and everyone. The distant but slowly growing desire to do more than _just_ hurt. He was aware that the urge had gone far beyond self-defense but he wasn’t terribly certain when the lines had begun to blur. When he had begun seeking out fights because he craved them all the way down to the marrow of his bones. But looking up into that stranger’s face, a face that honestly looked far more amused by Paul’s antics than anything else, Paul had found himself smirking back in a way that actually felt more like humor than the facsimile of it.

Of course, it might also have been the novelty of encountering… _something_ …that was capable of putting him in his place. Something Paul had never felt before, because it had only taken him a couple of Alpha Orders before he’d resorted to punching Sam in the mouth before he could actually finish getting one out. He’d found himself settling back against the wall in a slightly more authentic fashion. The violence was still there, but the urge to kill the pair was receding in the face of his interest in the strangeness of his situation. And even though he’d been tempted to see if he could manipulate England like he had the male’s companion, some unknown instinct said it wouldn’t work. That England just wasn’t malleable like Cat-Thing was.

He also wasn’t in the least bit attracted to Paul.

Curiouser and curiouser…

Cat-Thing shook his head to clear it of Paul’s mind-fuckery, backing up and blinking as he turned towards England. “What the fuck just happened?”

England’s lips quirked. “Colt…this might be a good time for you to step out and head home for the night.”

Cat-Thing…Colt…narrowed his eyes, though he still looked unsettled and confused. “Not leavin’ you here alone with him, boss.”

England just chuckled. “Colt, you know I have the utmost respect for your abilities, but two steps closer and our guest would have snapped your neck just to see if he could get around me.”

Paul clicked his tongue in reprimand. “That’s _cheating_ …warning the prey that they’re prey…”

Colt’s eyes widened in shock and sudden, belated fear. “What the _fuck_?!”

Paul cocked his head to the side, interested in the reaction and the very faint, and deeply reluctant, leap of attraction that had intensified at the sound of his voice.

Colt stabbed his finger toward the Were, eyes still huge. “ _What_ the _fuck_?!” he repeated, voice raised into a near-shout. “You said he wasn’t-”

“He’s not. _Yet_.”

Colt had glared at Paul, eyes glowing faintly even as he growled, a sound very clearly not human…but no matter the male’s obvious desire to tear into him, he absolutely did not move even a fraction closer to the seated Were. Paul just lifted a brow in goading mockery, something that never failed to set Sam off even though he had gotten much better at curtailing his reaction to it. Probably it was a matter of the Alpha getting tired of trying to corral Paul, something that he failed at most days, so he’d had to resort to becoming ultra-reasonable. Colt seemed rattled enough that he didn’t want to push things.

“How long?” he’d finally grated out.

England shrugged. “Few weeks.”

Colt had hissed in response like a pissed off cat, hands fisted at his sides before he finally forced himself to settle down. But he didn’t take his eyes off Paul as he backed towards the door, the thing instinctive in all animals of refusing to show his vulnerable back, and finally nodded. “Right, then…I’m just gonna…head out. Catch ya later.”

And he’d left, leaving Paul to contemplate England as the male finally took a seat against the far wall next to the door. His body language said that he wasn’t threatening his captive, but he wasn’t letting him leave just yet either. He didn’t actually say anything for some time, seemingly content to let Paul study him. And study him the Were had, eventually coming to the conclusion that this male was something that he had never seen before. The impression that, somehow, there was just _too much_ of him to be contained in a body that small. It didn’t matter that England was probably six-foot-six at the very least, he still _felt_ like someone had crammed an entire ocean into a child’s sand-pail and by some strange quirk of chance that pail had managed to _hold_ it despite all of the twisting of the laws of physics.

“Gonna give me a reason for the kidnapping?” Paul had finally asked.

England cocked his head, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “You’re traveling down a very dark path. Can’t see anything good coming of it.”

“So this is an intervention?” Paul had snorted, upper lip curled in a lazy sneer. “What…I’m your good deed for the week? You think you’re going to fix me?”

“Going to give it a shot.”

“And when you fail?” Because it seemed very unlikely that some strange fucker in a basement was going to straighten out all the shit in the Were’s head.

“You’re not a fool. I don’t think I need to spell out what happens then.” It was strange how England’s expression never changed. He was still as easy as ever, relaxed and pleasant as he calmly informed his captive that he’d put him down like a rabid dog.

Paul’s eyes had narrowed. “You actually think you’re strong enough to rule me?”

England rolled his shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t _want_ to rule you. Was never meant to. But you need to get control of yourself before you cross lines you can’t come back from.”

“Because humans never die? Grow the fuck up.”

“Oh, they die. They’re notoriously fragile and short lived. And eventually a time will come where you _will_ kill them. It’s inevitable. But the _way_ you were going to kill _that_ one…without reason or need beyond how it made you feel? Killing another living being out of apathy is a low no one should ever sink to.”

“How… _practical_ of you.” And intriguing, because anyone Paul had ever met would have thrown an epic shitfit at the possibility. Humans must be protected at all costs, at least according to the tribal Elders, even at the expense of their prized Protectors. Because that was their sole purpose all throughout their history. That and breeding more Protectors with their little Imprints in case they might happen to be needed at a later date. How fucking precious…

But over the next few weeks, Paul would discover _exactly_ how practical the male who called himself Haven actually was. Because the next time Paul felt the need to stop thinking just a week later, Haven had once more appeared, knocked the Were on his ass, then dragged him back into the basement. That second time, however, Paul hadn’t even had time to sit down before he was being yanked through space and then tossed back onto the floor.

“Really? This is going to be our thing, now?”

Haven had shrugged, grinning. “Seems so if you’re going to keep this up. Unless you want me to try and knock you unconscious? Because I’m game if you are.”

Paul had growled. “Fuck you. Really.”

Haven had just laughed good-naturedly. “You’re not my type. But thank you for the lovely offer.”

But never let it be said that Paul was a slow learner…because the next time he felt like using, he pounded a fist on the door that Haven had let him out the previous occasions. He really didn’t like the shock of teleportation for the way his senses screamed bloody murder when he reappeared and preferred to avoid a repeat if he could help it. And as if he’d been waiting for him, Haven opened the door and bowed him through like he was inviting him in for evening tea. But that time, instead of spending his time sitting on his ass, Haven actually helped him expend his aggression by getting into a fight with him, laughing the entire time and egging him on.

Paul discovered that he was faster than the blonde, but Haven was definitely the stronger of the pair. Still, the look of surprise on his face after he’d peeled himself off the wall when Paul had bounced over him like a jackrabbit on speed and landed a flying wheel kick to the back of his head was something that had amused the Were to no end. And it had been almost cathartic to be able to unleash on someone who could take it. He honestly felt no hostility towards the male, a new thing for him, but being able to fight with someone who could give every bit as good as he got and fucking laugh it off was something that Paul hadn’t really known he’d needed.

That second week he came back twice more and he and the blonde traded blows and taunts until both of them lay in a heap on the floor and his thoughts weren’t racing with shit even _he_ knew was wrong. Haven healed about as fast as Paul had pre-Phasing and so was pretty much good to go within an hour or two while the faint sounds of heavy bass drifted through the closed door.

“We under a club?” He’d asked.

“Mmhmm. Opened it a couple of years ago.”

“Must have some amazing soundproofing to keep people from hearing us.”

Haven had laughed. “You’re not the first I’ve had to bring down here. Besides, it would be _very_ bad for business for it to get out I’m holding an unofficial Fight Club in my bloody basement.”

Paul had actually found himself laughing too, without that edge of mockery he’d never quite been able to curb.

Haven had finally gotten to his feet, gesturing for Paul to do the same. “Come…let’s go get something to drink.”

Paul had gotten up as well, but the beast in him had raised its hackles at the suggestion of taking anything ingestible from the hand of someone he still wasn’t all that familiar with. It was something that eventually he would get a better handle on and he’d become a little more tactful in his denial…that instinctive refusal that had growled its disapproval at everyone but Bella. Luckily HAve must have seen the hesitation that long-ago night, because he’d nodded. “Water…I will show you where the kitchens are…you may fetch your own glass and use the tap yourself. I don’t need to be involved.”

Paul had cocked his head, curious over the male’s understanding of his peculiarity.

Haven’s brows had lifted in mild amusement. “You think you’re the only one who doesn’t trust food from the hands of others?”

Paul had lifted a brow of his own, but then shook his head. The other male seemed to have a better working knowledge of him than even his own so-called Pack did. It also made him curious about the types Haven associated with that he would even _have_ that knowledge. So he followed along behind the other male, something in him faintly astonished that Haven allowed him at his back…but the truth of the matter was that he just wasn’t a threat to him. Sam never allowed him at his back, for obvious reasons. Sam may have been a great deal more human than Paul, but even _he_ was predator enough to understand the danger.

The door had branched off a long hallway that lead to locker rooms, storage rooms, walk-in refrigerators, and a few offices before they came to a stairway that lead upwards into the club proper. So many humans had made Paul a bit edgy, like the fox in the henhouse before they actually realized that he was there. But one glance from his companion, knowing and watchful, had Paul leashing the urge to let out the beast just to watch them scatter like the little girls in the grocery store. Would have been amusing as hell to watch, but not even Paul was generally enough of an asshole to fuck with someone’s livelihood just for a laugh. He was also aware that this was a test to see if he could keep himself on his metaphorical chain.

Didn’t mean he didn’t smirk when Colt, who was working the bar, caught sight of him and scowled venomously.

“He’ll get over it,” Haven had offered as they waded through the crowd.

“You sound sure of that.”

“He’s really not the grudge type. Ah, here we are,” he said as they walked through a door that lead back into the kitchens.

But he was right, because Colt _had_ gotten over it right around the time that Haven had finally announced that, while it was none of his business if he didn’t want to talk about _why_ the place was so abhorrent, he wasn’t about to leave Paul to live in the house he’d grown up in. He’d known Haven for a couple of months by then, discovering that he commonly had access to knowledge that just _wasn’t_ common. And at first he’d closed down and grown aggressive in the face of the blonde’s knowledge of his fucked up childhood, but while Haven had said that he didn’t give a shit if he wanted to fight to get it out of his system, he wasn’t allowing Paul to live in that home.

So fight they did. Brutally. But in the end, Paul found himself offering up the knowledge of a piece of land on the outskirts of La Push where there was an outdated old house with a stable foundation. It had been his maternal grandparent’s home, willed to him for some strange reason when they had been killed in a wreck when he had been fourteen, and untouchable by his mother who had attempted to get access to it for money. Haven had sat with him on the floor in that bare cement room and said that Paul needed to find things to do besides sitting in the hellhole his bitch mother had left him in and seeing to his ‘tribal responsibilities’ when he wasn’t showing up to the club spoiling for a fight. Paul had suddenly been very certain that Haven knew _exactly_ what those _responsibilities_ entailed but was deliberately not talking about it out of consideration for the tribe’s apparently naive attempts at secrecy.

“You _know_ what I am… _don’t_ you.” It hadn’t really been a question at that point.

Haven had given him a patient side-eye. “I know what you are.”

And Paul found himself breaking every rule passed down to the Pack. To never show or tell _anyone_ what he was…

He’d Phased there in that room, so huge that even lying down he still towered over the seated male. Part of him had expected the blonde to at the very least back up. But he’d not even blinked. Just shook his head and smiled before complimenting the shade of his coat. It was a form that had never felt quite right to him, and not just for the fact that it was a giant goddamned wolf. It just felt _wrong_ somehow, and he’d never really felt all that connected to it…it’s instincts in direct opposition occasionally to the ones that felt natural to him.

_So_ wrong that he’d never allowed Bella near when he was the Wolf because not even _he_ could predict its reactions to her.

Still, Paul didn’t understand why he didn’t sense Colt approaching when he had opened the door. The shorter male’s head had cocked to the side, and oddly he was every bit as unsurprised as Haven. “Bout damned time,” he’d said. His eyes were still wary, but the taut anger was gone. Oddly, Paul couldn’t feel any of the attraction from him that had been present at their last real interaction either. He didn’t miss it in the least, but it was just one more thing that he didn’t really want to deal with in someone that he apparently was going to have repeated contact with.

“So. We gonna do this?” Colt’s voice was also far more pleasant when he wasn’t screeching in terror.

Haven shrugged. “His call.”

Things weren’t just cut and dried, though, because Haven’s offer to fix the house in the woods came with the stipulation that Paul come work for him when he wasn’t on Sam’s time. They still had a long way to go in ‘fixing’ Paul, but having a place to go when he wasn’t running pointless Patrols had helped. Still, after they had gotten the place gutted and rebuilt (who the hell knew how they had managed it so quickly?) it had been a kick in the fucking teeth when the tribal council had voted to officially sever the land from the reservation. He could come and go inside La Push so long as it was on Pack business, he was expressly invited for whatever reason, or he was going to and from work…but it was just one more way the tribe had decided that he wasn’t one of them.

But seeing the shock and disgust on Sam’s face when he heard of the decision had had a faintly softening effect on Paul towards the Alpha. Sam wasn’t faking it; he truly was absolutely appalled by the edict. But there was nothing he could do to change it because far too many of the Elders had agreed with the motion. It also helped solidify Paul’s distaste for the council. Apparently since the ‘defective’ Wolf was living out on the outskirts of the rez, they decided that cutting him off completely and washing their hands of him was the best thing to do. They couldn’t actually revoke his membership to the tribe because his mother had been full Quileute and he’d been born in the tribal hospital, but it was just one more thing that served to show him that he was unwelcome amongst the people he had been born to.

It was quite possible that that decision was a large part of why Sam hadn’t really argued when Paul had informed him that he had a job outside of being a Werewolf.

Things did get better after a time with more kids Phasing and giving the Pack a larger pool to pull from. And Haven did his best to reteach Paul how to be just a little more ‘safe’. Occasionally Paul had earned a corrective fist or two, but unlike with Paul’s mother it was never done for spite. Haven wasn’t angry, just using the most expedient route to get his point across. And Paul found that he didn’t resent it.

It was also interesting to discover the presence of other supernatural beings employed at The Haven. Colt was a Wereleopard, young woman named Cordelia was actually a witch and yet another bartender named Kell was a Werefox…an arctic one if you please.

Haven also did not forbid Paul from fighting because he believed that hatred and anger and aggression were preferable to emptiness. Paul was given a job where he was allowed to be a predator, derailing many attempted assaults on the employees and other patrons. Haven also taught him about forging blades which became another thing he used to help curb the violent impulses. You couldn’t force the metal to obey you, you had to finesse it and the work became an exercise in patience.

Though even Haven had been shocked as hell one night when Paul had been on the floor and managed to Call one of the blades from his workroom at home. His boss had watched him pocket it before the kid he was corralling noticed anything, but afterword, Haven had pulled him aside. He was very clear that he was not accusing Paul of having brought a knife to work, but he had been curious about its sudden appearance. The other male had suggested that he had an idea of what had occurred, but he had wanted to confirm his theory. He’d asked if he thought he would be able to do the same thing only in reverse. So Paul had used his memory of the sensation of _Calling_ it to try and unravel how he’d done it in the first place.

The first try had been a bust, but the second one had seen it flickering out of existence.

Haven had bent and pulled a narrow blade from his own boot and asked if he could ‘Call’ that one as well. But no matter how much Paul had focused on it, he couldn’t establish any connection to it. But he’d regained the blade from his workroom and a few of the others with just a thought. It was a good thing that he unlocked that particular ability because not long after that had been the knife fight that Sam had been a witness to. A knife fight that had sprung up because of his defense of Colt…who ironically had become someone that Paul had begun to respect. A respect the male had earned with his careful treatment of the Were’s particular peculiarities.

He’d been laughing while Sam had tried to disarm him later, because that knife was safely back on the rack in his workroom. Sam’s attempt to get into Paul’s head had not gone over well, though later he’d been a bit more understanding of the Alpha’s reasoning. It had taken some time to regain his acceptance of Sam after that. But eventually, he’d grown a bit of respect for him. Things weren’t quite so tense between them anymore, though they would never be besties. Because it was hard to feel all that friendly towards someone who was trying to hide how uneasy you made them. And Emily was a problem. She was never overt and frankly he was pretty sure that even _she_ wasn’t all that aware of what she was doing her best to ignore. But that extra sense of his was never wrong…neither was he ignorant of the way her eyes sometimes dilated when he was near her. So he just avoided her.

Still, the day he’d gotten a call from Sam to go pick up Bella Swan from school, he’d not been all that stoked to do it. And looking back, he was absolutely certain that Haven had deliberately gotten him drunk beforehand. Seemed like something he’d do because Paul was actually an easygoing drunk-sometimes easygoing- _violent_ because his switches were easier to flip in that state-but all the same it lowered a few of his inhibitions.

But when he’d pulled up to go hunting for her, he’d been a little bit stunned…

He’d seen her through everyone’s eyes but his own…everything from the fragile little princess that Jacob had been determined to see her as to the sweet girl Sam saw who was putting her life back together. But Sam couldn’t see her like Paul did…because the first thing that had crossed his mind when he had caught sight of Sam’s little sister? Gorgeous. He’d never really registered the looks of others beyond whether or not they were decent looking or unfortunate…but _that_ one he’d seen. She wasn’t artificial or fashionable, she was herself. The kind of girl some overlooked because she didn’t paint her face like a two-dollar hooker or wear clothes that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Modest, and somehow all the more eye-catching because of it. And she wasn’t afraid of him. Wary, rightfully so given what he looked like, but she hadn’t simpered and flirted despite the traces of attraction he could feel from her. And it hadn’t grown, another thing that had surprised him. She’d been actively _trying_ to suppress it; wasn’t successful, but it was the attempt that had fascinated him enough so that he’d set aside the distaste he’d felt for her and all of her fucked up life-decisions.

Then she’d come closer and the scent of her had the devil-thing in him going still, paying attention for the very first time to a tiny curvy female that if he was any less of an asshole he might have backed away from. But the look on her face…admiration mixed with surprise, had hooked him _so_ hard. From what he knew of her, she wasn’t the type to run after anyone just for physical attraction and God knew Jacob had tried. And really, earning that kind reaction from her instead of the baby Alpha was just icing.

_Jesus that girl had felt so fucking innocent…_

Paul wasn’t unfamiliar with lust, because he was alive and male and jerking off was something that occasionally served to pass time…but he’d never felt the reaction because of another _person_. So he’d played guileless, watching her take his words at face value before a small part of her had actually registered what he’d offered up to her. He was curious to see Bella’s reaction, wanted to see if she’d revert to the typical actions of nearly every female he’d ever encountered. Watched her react to whatever the black-magic voodoo shit was that he couldn’t really cut out of his voice no matter _what_ he did, part of the reason he’d begun cutting back on actually _speaking_ to people since he’d been able to remember. Watched her convince herself that she’d been mistaken and try to hide the reaction she’d had to his voice.

It was crazy when she’d actually _touched_ him, however-in a way that had absolutely _nothing_ to do with trying to sidle up on him-because he’d felt his whole body go tight in a manner that was violence and need in a way he’d never experienced before, because there had been no compulsion to _hurt_. He’d had enough presence of mind to clamp down on the more obvious reaction her touch had provoked. Still, when she’d finally… _hesitantly_ …clambered onto his bike, he’d been oh-so-tempted to batter against that innocence of hers and see how she’d react if he let himself get hard against her ass.

But even when he’d finally told her who he was, there was no fear, just that same reluctant attraction as she actually tried to fucking _respect_ his limits and take care of him. And he’d honestly found her attempts to be kind of fucking adorable. She would have been perfectly within her rights to put her hands on him at that point-he’d practically invited her to, honestly-but she’d refrained. Kept those little hands all to herself no matter that he had discovered that he _really_ wanted them _on_ him. And he’d been so very disappointed at her restraint.

He still had no fucking clue what had caused her to shudder against him in orgasm right there on the front of his bike. It clearly hadn’t been intentional on her part…still didn’t stop the sudden urge he’d felt to shove his hand down the front of her of her shorts, curl his fingers up inside of her, and make her do it again. Wanting to feel her squeezing down on him when her scent spiked up once more. The actual physical need to get _himself_ inside of her right afterword was something he couldn’t have anticipated, the desire to lick the taste of her off of his own skin while she took him in…because he’d never felt that before in his entire life.

All of it had been so singular and surreal…especially when he’d realized that he wanted to be watching her face when it happened. Because that smacked of something more than just fleeting attraction. But that was also around the time that he’d realized it might be a good plan to get them out of there before he did things to her right there in full view of everyone, things that her father would likely try to shoot him for.

Still, after he’d sobered up, he’d thought things through. He wasn’t averse to her company… _clearly_ …

Why she was able to simply touch him without riling up his urge to either hurt her for it or frighten her into running from him? He even found that the hunger diminished to something that no longer felt like it might drive him to kill someone just to get away from it, because the emptiness was just one more thing riding him when he was in a brawl. Or the way that he was actually _interested_ in learning what made her tick and how her mind worked. What she cared about and what fascinated her, what made her happy. He’d spent a little time digging through Sam, Embry, and Jacob’s memories of her…carefully so as to keep from rousing suspicion. And he’d discovered that she was smart and funny with a strange love of automobiles; something he actually shared. He couldn’t remember the first time he’d opened one up to see how it worked…the hours he’d spent learning how everything connected and operated together to make it do what it did. The times he’d actually boosted a few and gone for rides. He couldn’t have been more than thirteen the first time he’d blown past a parked cop car going over a hundred miles an hour and still accelerating.

The cop hadn’t managed to catch up to him before Paul had ditched the car and dissapeared. And given that he’d been wearing gloves the entire time, they hadn’t found prints to identify him either.

But sitting with Bella in Sam’s living room he’d realized that, while the girl was _still_ trying her best to bury her attraction to him, she wasn’t twitching like someone who was nervous about where she was. Her breathing was even, her heart keeping a normal rhythm after she’d chilled out from her little spat with the baby Alpha. She _still_ wasn’t afraid of him as she’d sat in his lap, and for some crazy fucking reason, he didn’t want to change that. That she’d used him as a safe haven against Jacob had been certifiably insane. Girl definitely had balls even if he wasn’t terribly enthused about her lack of self-preservation.

He’d never represented _safety_ for _anyone_. There was absolutely _no possible way_ to list all of the reasons for why that was the case. H _e’d_ known he wasn’t safe.

Still, he could remember how soft her skin had been under his hands during that short span of time he’d spent in her bed with her. The way she’d sprawled over him in her sleep. The way she had smiled and brushed it aside when she’d woken up and realized where she was. Made dinner for him…and hadn’t _that_ been a head-fuck, because he’d actually _eaten_ it without a qualm. Hadn’t even realized that he’d done it till the next day because it had just been instinctive to accept that from her.

He’d known that he hadn’t Imprinted on her and frankly he wasn’t surprised by that because he’d always been a bit more fucked up than the rest. But sitting there in the dark with her…feeling the warmth of her against him, the way she’d unconsciously melted into him as the movie progressed, the unintentional way her hands had occasionally brushed against him? And the crazy, absolutely _ridiculous_ trust she’d already given him, even if it had been given subconsciously. But the devil-thing in him was fully aware…and all it had had to say on the subject was _MINE._

There was not one part of him that had objected to the claim.

So he’d begun plotting. Pulled her into his life. Into his arms. And had absolutely fallen in love with her so fast that he’d scarcely understood it.

When he’d seen her lying in the hospital being terrified ad hurt-the girl who had seen fit to trust and love _him_ of all people-it pissed him off. It was just so _wrong._ Even the Wolf had pitched a fit because the female it had decided to look after was not well. The thing in Paul that had set him apart from the others had bared its teeth and snarled. Jared had been more right than he could ever have guessed when he’d said that there was very little Paul wouldn’t actually do for Bella, because straight up murder was just the tip of the iceberg.

But _her_ plans? The ones that she had apparently hatched while lying in that sterile hospital room despite her discomfort and the judgmental eye of that irritating woman?

Yeah, he pretty much _adored_ Bella’s plans.

The alarm went off on his phone, pulling Paul out of his head and he threw back the blankets with a groan. He’d already been up once this morning, playfully messing with his girl when she’d pulled a face as she’d crawled out of bed to get ready for school, clearly reluctant to leave him behind. The way her eyes had climbed down his body as she’d stood fidgeting by the foot of the bed had made him want to pull her back down and see how many times he could get her off before she came to her senses and babbled about first period. That she would leave his home still smelling like him if he did so had also appealed.

He’d known exactly what she had been aiming for last night. Walking in the door from his garage, he’d been so ready to just relax and wrap himself around Bella. Work hadn’t been all that exciting, no more than a bunch of scuffles that he’d broken up before anyone got bloody. Over girls no less. Go figure. Because if a girl couldn’t decide on which mate she wanted, then clearly she wasn’t the right one for _either_ of them…but who the fuck was he to say anything? Especially when more than a few of those girls had then turned their eyes on him. So he’d let out the predator and sent them scurrying for the safety of males who were a little more in their league…a little more _human_.

But as soon as he’d stepped through the door, he’d gone still as the scent of her drifted through his home. It wasn’t so thick that it had impaired his ability to think beyond getting to Bella, but it had been distracting as hell because the traces of nervousness threading through the arousal had tugged at his baser instincts. He really didn’t want to frighten her when she’d smelled so utterly willing, but he’d been having a bit of a fight with the bastard in his head because it wanted him to chase her down and stop giving a shit about things like her inexperience. It was so damned certain that he could just _make_ her enjoy it that way and he’d actually taken a few steps forward to do just _that_ before he’d managed to force it back inside its cage. He wasn’t about to have Bella’s first time be about being overpowered and _taken_. He didn’t give a fuck if he _could_ make her like it, it wasn’t something he was willing to _ever_ do to her without express consent.

Still, the sight of her when he’d gotten up the stairs was something he’d never allow himself to forget, even if he was capable. She’d still looked more nervous than he wanted and he couldn’t quite contain the darker instincts that had been willing to block her escape if she’d tried. He was sure that he wouldn’t have pushed Bella to follow through with what she had originally intended, but letting her bail wasn’t really something he could do at that moment.

Then it had been a moot point because she’d not so much as lifted as he advanced. Just watched him close in on her, eyes wide as she waited for him to take up the challenge she’d unknowingly tossed at his feet. Watched him sink down before her like the Devil come to worship. She was already shivering in anxious anticipation before she’d closed her eyes, pliant as she let him touch her. Slowly, because she deserved to be savored and not just savaged. And it had been a near thing once he had pulled the soft fabric down her thighs and uncovered what she had done just for him.

It wasn’t just the fact that she was completely bare that had thrown Paul. It also represented the tangible proof of her having decided that she wanted this _with_ him. That she had planned to not just passively _let_ things happen, but had decided to pursue it in her own way. _This_ was her not just saying _yes_ but offering up an invitation for something he’d wanted since he’d met her. And despite the shaking, the way her hands had fisted into the bedding, she’d still lain open to him as he’d worked his way closer to where she’d smelled so fucking good that he had started to lose track of anything outside of getting his mouth on her.

That and a sudden darker urge he’d almost been tripped up by. Something completely unaccountable and utterly primal. This sharp need to sink his teeth into her skin, to mark the inside of her thigh in a way that wouldn’t just fade away. A compulsion so strong that he’d been forced to pause for a few moments while he chained it down because that wasn’t something you just _did_ without a great deal of discussion; he wasn’t even sure he’d be able to explain why he wanted it if they _had_ that talk other than he was just a possessive asshole. _That_ was no big secret. So he’d shoved the impulse aside, because if he allowed himself to focus on it right then he might just do it and fuck the possible consequences.

He hadn’t anticipated that she might actually taste better than she smelled…like something tart and sweet that had emblazoned itself permanently into his senses. She’d gone still at first, surprised at her own reaction maybe. He wasn’t really sure whether it was _him_ or the bastard in its cage that had growled at the taste of her right then but it didn’t really matter because apparently Bella was wired to like that from him. He could feel the rise of heat under her skin against his hands as he slowly explored and the slow curl of her hips whenever he found something that she liked, the way she writhed when he finally chased the flavor of her pleasure up inside her with his tongue. Then it was all so much better when she stopped holding back on him, stopped trying to be _polite_ about her responses and clutched at him to keep him where she wanted him, her breathy little gasps and sweet moans going straight to his dick as she arched up under his touch.

He’d felt the power flare up under his skin right as he took her apart and all he’d managed was a soft laugh before he was suddenly just _gone_. It was almost like being high as he’d knelt there and fucking zenned out completely. Explored…touched…stroked…and _lost_ himself in her. Her hands wandering over him like she really couldn’t help herself. Her nails digging into his shoulders and kneading like a blissed out cat, and _oh fuck,_ he loved that too. Her breathe hitching and her heart skipping full beats as she clenched tightly around the fingers he’d eased up inside of her, the feel of her so hot and meltingly soft and he wanted to feel her wrapped around him. The feel of her thighs trembling against his shoulders when she started to reach for the next release…

He’d briefly contemplated just jerking his pants open and getting himself off right along with her, but he couldn’t actually bring himself to take his hands _off_ of Bella. Not even to ease the desperate clamoring of want in his own body…the way it raced and roiled up just under the surface. But it was really just background noise. Because he just felt way too damned good to give a shit about anything at all. Like getting her off was filling up the hole inside of him so well that he felt glutted and so completely satiated that he didn’t want to stop. He was running on autopilot, reacting to every movement she made and every unconscious cue she gave that told him where to touch, where to taste, and exactly how much she needed. It was something beyond instinct, almost like an imperative that drove him to give and give until she just couldn’t take anymore.

_All the while he was taking and taking and taking in return._

He wasn’t sure how long he knelt there, how long he had been reeling under the onslaught of her pleasure against his hyper-focused senses, drifting even more senselessly than he had under the effects of the Xanax. It took him even longer to convince himself to slow down than it did for him to figure out how much time he had lost. He remembered laying his cheek on her thigh, watching her face as she apparently convinced her mind to reboot. And he _absolutely_ remembered coming to his feet and staggering like he was completely smashed. He’d honestly felt nearly as wrecked as she had looked, and realized that he hadn’t felt just _high_ but that he was actually _tripping_ off of her _._

He’d felt a little wild and a whole lot needy and aching as he’d stood there over her. He couldn’t help his response when she had dropped her gaze down his body at his suggestion that he might be more than just a little affected by the power running rampant through him. He was amused that she could blush but even more intrigued by the twitch of her little hands and the way she bit her lower lip, the way she so clearly wanted to reach out and touch him. Fascinated by the way she reacted when he had used his body to cage her in against the bed because she had looked like the idea just _did_ _it_ for her.

She had no idea how much that did it for him as well…

Paul was still so fucking relaxed at that point, however, that when Bella had asked about that night so long ago, he’d no compunction about spilling the truth. And it probably wasn’t terribly kind of him to keep testing her the way he had been, but the idea of kissing her with her sprawled across his body just after he’d gotten a piece of her had been something he couldn’t resist. Scarcely any kind of warning given, but even after he had done so, she seemed far more enthralled by it than disgusted. He even suspected the reason why, and she wasn’t wrong…he _was_ hers.

It hadn’t taken him long to get lost in touching her once more. Watching as her eyes went hazy and her cheeks flushed, though he was a little more aware this time, taking note of the fact that she had apparently been born without a hymen…and thank fuck for _that_. He wasn’t the sick prick who needed his girl to tear and bleed just to prove physical inexperience. There were more than enough issues on the table as it was given their size differences and straight up pain had no business in sex when it couldn’t be tempered with pleasure. Then those big brown eyes had begun to close and he was coaxing her to keep them open, wanting to watch as she splintered apart. She came and he was once more flying, his senses whirling and it was such a goddamn _rush_ …

It wasn’t all that long after that that he was talking her into letting him play with his _present._

It was utterly fascinating to be able to explore at such close quarters. To enjoy the fragile prettiness of her even there, delicate and lush like some exotic fresh fruit. To run his fingers over the softness that was like blush-pink velvet untiluntiluntil her hips began slowly rolling and she babbled nonsensically. He wasn’t trying to get her off at that point, just enjoying the freedom she’d presented him. But having her rake her nails across his skin had pretty much knocked him out of his lazy exploration and once more gunned the engine of his arousal, his teeth lengthening and sharpening with his interest. He was all kinds of game for something a little rougher if that’s what she _actually_ wanted, but warning her of the invitation she was unknowingly issuing had felt more fair than keeping his mouth shut. And going _there_ should always be her choice.

He wasn’t sure why it surprised him when she reached down for his belt buckle, because he’d known she’d always been a bit curious about what he was packing. But she always seemed a little hesitant about her own fascination as well. Like it was somehow wrong of her to want to get her hands on him the way he constantly wanted his hands on _her_. Then she was struggling with the buttons, nervousness once more threading through her scent. So he brushed her hands out of the way before she could talk herself out of it and finished the task for her, then pulled her hand down and wrapped it around himself where he was so hard he was beginning to ache.

It was so fucking distracting when she began exploring, her small hands squeezing and sliding and somehow feeling so much warmer than they should have against his skin. But he couldn’t help laughing when she began mumbling to herself about the size of his dick. Not that she was wrong, because pushing himself into her in a single thrust would’ve just been unkind. Though Paul really wasn’t up for conversation right then and quickly distracted her by licking his way back up inside of her…still amused by the restlessness of Bella’s hands as she continued to stroke him while he ever so slowly built her back up again. Felt her trying to refocus her attention on what her hands were doing to him. And also felt the curiosity in her as she pulled one of her hands away for a few moments.

Right about the time he had pushed deeper inside of her and found something that had had had her shivering in reaction, she had gently pressed her lips against the head of his cock before swiping the tip of her tongue across him. He’d gone still, despite the nearly desperate urge to buck up against her, to fist his hand in her hair, wrap his other hand around himself, then offer the greedy thing back up to her lips. It hadn’t mattered in the end, however, because after mumbling something about liking the taste of him -and _holy_ _shit_ if that didn’t make it so much harder to lay still and let her have her way-his curious girl had gone about mapping him out with lips and tongue. That was right around the time that he discovered that he was just as helpless against keeping his own groans and growls quiet as _she_ had been.

He had started getting lost again, content to follow her lead while doing his best to not drive himself deeper past her soft lips. The demon in his head was snarling again, demanding and begging, thrashing wildly in its attempts to get free. But somehow, she’d seemed strangely in tune with the bastard because she pulled him in just that side of tortuously slow. He’d suddenly understood that restlessness of her hands as one of his own dropped downward, not guiding or forceful but almost desperately needing to hold on to _anything_ at all. The gentle but insistent pressure of her lips around him, the flick of her tongue against his skin, and the slow repetitive pull of her hands up the length of him had built him up fast and kicked him right out onto the edge of exploding.

He had no shame in admitting that his whole world had narrowed down to taste of _her_ , and the heat of her mouth wrapped around him and working him over. He had no intentions of holding back and making her work for anything, because that was just a dick-move for any male to pull…making a female feel as if she were less than _phenomenal_ at taking her male apart. Not that that was any kind of problem _here_ , because it felt like Bella was just one wickedly pleasurable stroke away from shoving him right over the cliff. He could feel her heart racing, his own speeding up to match hers as all of the power roiled up under his skin and rode roughshod over his nerve endings in what seemed an attempt to try and get at _her_ …

It didn’t _feel_ threatening, but he’d been fooled before when he had attempted to help her. He didn’t want to unleash something upon her without knowledge of what might happen if he did so, even if it felt like something that was as necessary as it was somehow _inevitable_. Like it was just meant to be poured into her body and let loose.

Holding it back, however, diverted his attention just enough that she was crashing apart before he could get a grip on things, managing to break _him_ that time as well…

He knew it was polite to warn her about what was going to happen, but between the rush caused by _her_ orgasm, the jerking spasms in his _own_ body as he went scrambling over the edge after her, he had very little functional train of thought beyond would she actually swallow him down or freak out about it all. And when the demon rumbled with dark pleasure when she didn’t turn squeamish on him, he really couldn’t find it in himself to argue the point over the base satisfaction he felt as well. Or care much beyond the way her last release seemed to ride the tail of his in some kind of strange chain-reaction.

But he’d known that, despite whatever her goals for them had been that night or how easy it would’ve been to talk her into letting him continue, she was done. The emotional stress of her nervousness coupled with the number of times he’d coaxed her into going off for him had combined to drain her. So he’d locked down his own lust and forced himself to relax beneath her boneless little body before having the strangest conversation about who was lucky in their relationship. Determination had once more flickered over her for some reason, and she’d held onto him just that little bit tighter for a few moments before he’d gotten up to strip down for the night. He’d never minded wearing jeans to sleep with her in the past, but when it was just him he tended to sleep bare to the skin. Now there was absolutely no reason not to indulge his preference.

He knew that he needed to sit down with her and talk out a few things, because his suspicions about some of the oddities that were happening with him were probably things she should at least be made aware of. They had nothing to do with the Pack, or he might have considered tipping off Sam…of course it might also have been selfishness because if it got out that he wasn’t even _human_ , then he’d once more be having to deal with his life being upended when the tribe lost their shit over it. He may not have respected them, or even gave any kind of fucks for just about every single person in said tribe, but that didn’t mean that he particularly felt like rearranging his life again.

It hadn’t really seemed like much time passed before Bella’s alarm had gone off later. Controlling his physical reactions to her, while seriously a bitch to do, wasn’t nearly as hard as curtailing every one of his more wicked impulses. It had taken some time after she had dropped off for him to be able to do the same, but he was still alert enough when she had crawled out of bed to take a conceited pleasure in the fact that just _looking_ at him clearly made her want to ditch school to stay in bed with him. But Bella was one of those strange people who actually _liked_ school, not to mention the time she missed while being stuck in bed for a week.

Still, when she had gone to scoop up her clothes from the night before, he’d been faster and had snatched up that little pink pair of panties before she could get to them. Her eyes had gone wide when she tried to grab them back and he refused, because _his_ present, _his_ goddamn wrapping, and she wasn’t about to get them back. _Those were his_.

But she not quite been able to hide the tiny grin at his ridiculousness as she scooted past him to take her shower. Didn’t mean he didn’t hide them from her while she was gone, however. But silliness or not, he hadn’t quite been able to let her get dressed afterword without dropping down in front of her and taking a few minutes to lick droplets of water from the soft skin of her breasts and the smoothness of her belly and thighs. Found himself easily distracted and fascinated by the velvet sweetness of her puckered nipples and unable to stop himself from tugging at them with his lips as she murmured distracted nonsense, her fingers wound into his hair; he’d fought off the urge yet again to sink his teeth into her skin because the dark thing was so damned demanding about it. He’d followed the trail of water droplets from her collarbones up the line of her throat before he kissed her so thoroughly that her heart had begun to thunder once more, her breath coming in quiet pants. And fuck if it wasn’t next the thing to impossible to give her up and back away, to climb back into bed for a few more hours sleep before he was off to work. It didn’t help things at all that he was pretty much certain that she was going to want to take up her explorations again once he walked through the door later that night.

Paul shook his head to clear it as he sat up and stretched. Then looked down and rolled his eyes in mild irritation because apparently even the _memory_ of what had happened the night before was enough to make his whole damn body go tight with want all over again. _Fuck…_

Still…it was kinda funny too, and he snorted a quiet laugh at himself as he rolled out of bed and strode into his bathroom with a hard-on that he was all too aware he didn’t have the time to take care of. He tended to not be satisfied with one-offs anyway, something that became more true since he’d gotten involved with Bella. He eyed his shower, resigning himself to the inevitable freezing blast he knew he’d have to endure and seriously reluctant to actually wash her scent off his skin, especially with the screaming of the bastard in his head as it fought him to keep it. Still, ten minutes later he was a bit more clear-headed as he ran a towel over his hair, his dick having finally obeyed the not-so-subtle suggestion to relax even if the rest of him…really hadn’t so much.

Getting dressed and leaving for work had just been habit, as was the drive itself. He never really forgot anything, but admittedly that trip was a little more of a blur than he could ever remember it being. But it wasn’t until he was walking in the back door through the employee–only areas that he realized something was… _off_ …

The demon in his head didn’t so much as break free, but slipped quietly from its leash during his _distraction_. He felt his movements become more predatory, his senses sharply amping up as it prowled freely through his mind. It seemed to be hunting something, but failing to find it, it crawled relentlessly through his body, impatient and yet strangely amused. The dancers were noted, catalogued, and summarily dismissed because they weren’t _her_. His blood felt like it was screaming through his veins, a strange contrast to the almost lazy prowl of his body. _Deceptively_ lazy, because he felt so far from being in control that it should have been worrying. Should have been even worse that he just _wasn’t_. He felt… _good._

Paul was halfway up the stairs to the second floor when some heretofore unknown switch got tripped in his head. His lips tipped upward into a devilish smile, eyes hooding as he strode through the crowd on the dance floor.

>}:{<

He’d known that something was going to go down today the second he’d fallen out of bed that morning. _Literally_ fallen, landing flat on his damned face when the alarm had ripped him out of sleep. So much for fucking Were-grace.

Colt had lain on the cool wooden floor in his bedroom and sighed at the indignity of it all.

If Lady Fate was already slapping him upside the head so soon into the start of his morning, then he couldn’t see how the rest of his day could possibly get any better. Because the last time he’d had a day start like this, his sister Molly had come to visit him with an unwanted mate-to-be in tow. His sire had arranged for her to mate with the firstborn son another Clan head in their extended family clan. There was no blood relation between the two and it was strictly to consolidate power, but in the Were community she was the equivalent of a human sixteen-year-old. And granted their sire was seriously old-school, but Colt just wasn’t having it. He’d been unofficially ousted as his sire’s successor just over fifty years before, having been taken in by Haven a century before that. And Haven looked after his people.

He hadn’t quite been strong enough yet to take on his sire, but Molly wasn’t too proud to claim asylum from Colt’s guardian. And when the other male had come had come along in an attempt to throw his weight around and regain his ‘business proposition’, Haven had coolly set him on his ass in front of his lackeys and entourage with a promise to utterly destroy him in every way possible if Marcus St. James ever threatened the happiness of any of _his_ people again. Didn’t stop the old bastard from trying to pull the honor card, claiming their entire clan would be dishonored by the broken engagement. The mate-to-be, a pretentious young prick with delusions of grandeur, had been offered a choice…he could willingly break his engagement with Molly or Haven would allow Colt to beat the little shit down until he remembered his place.

That was when Colt had realized that his sire wasn’t as strong as he had always appeared to be. The older male, who despite his physically young age had actually come across on the goddamn Mayflower, had always relied upon fear tactics and long-held traditions to enforce his rule, and Colt had never understood that Marcus wasn’t nearly as strong as he had pretended to be…and indeed hadn’t been for _centuries_. Even knowing that he could one day take over his family Clan, however, had done nothing to sway Colt’s loyalties from the male who had found him as a young cub about to be forced to live in a cave out near Laredo, Texas. Wouldn’t have been so bad now, because even _he_ knew he’d been a cute little shit and could’ve charmed his way into the kitchen of just about anyone. But a hundred and eighty years ago was a whole other ballgame.

He’d been kicked out of the family compound against his mother’s desperate pleas, because he refused to cow to his uncle’s demand that he be horse whipped for speaking out of turn. His sire’s face had been cold when he turned and finally informed his firstborn son it was either the whip or his home. But as much as he loved his mother, he wasn’t about to bear a beating at the hands of the head guard who’d had a hard on for him since he was a toddler…and he meant that in the most depraved of ways.

He remembered sitting in that cave, terrified and crying despite his attempts at stopping because if he was to be on his own he had to be a ‘man’ and everyone knew grown men didn’t cry. Didn’t matter in the slightest that he was so young his voice hadn’t even come close to breaking, he couldn’t afford to be weak. He’d only just begun learning how to shape shift into his feline form, and had yet to learn how to hunt wild game, but was thankful that the ability to change forms came with a higher core temperature so he no longer had to fear the cold come nightfall.

It was early the next morning when Haven had found him. He’d been deeply intimidated by the other male no matter the kindness in his odd golden eyes, because the newcomer had reeked of predator in a way he had never encountered before. He was so sure it had to be a trick, that he would either be killed or _used_ in some way, that when the big male had stepped into the cave carrying a bag, he had desperately wished he’d been part chameleon so that he could disappear into the cave wall. But Haven had simply tossed the bag in his direction and did not attempt to come close to him. The smell of food had almost overwhelmed his starving body, but he was wary enough to ask the price for the food. Haven had said there was no price, one did not extract payment for food from children. Colt had wanted to hackle-up at being labeled a child, but even then he sensed that it wasn’t an insult.

That’s where it had all begun, though Colt had been proud enough to not like being provided for. Haven had offered the services of one of his people to teach the cub how to hunt and care for himself. He would have done it himself, but his native form was far too large and not terribly stealthy, he’d explained ruefully. It would have defeated the purpose of the lessons. The younger male had had absolutely no doubts on that issue, because even if he couldn’t place the scent, there was no mistaking the caliber of predator he found himself in the company of.

He’d still been wary for months for the dropping of the other shoe, but it had never come. No one amongst Haven’s people had so much as even looked at him in a way that made him feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. He’d grown under the watchful eye of a male that he learned to both deeply respect and love because Haven was his father in a way that his own sire had never attempted to be. Haven’s people had become his siblings, no matter their place of origin or supernatural species.

So when Haven had announced his intention to try and rehabilitate Paul, Colt had been supportive… _at first_. Because Haven never brought anyone into their group without warning the others of what was in store. Colt had had very little interaction with Paul’s people (and not that tame little human Pack that had tried to pull him into their ranks) before but everything he had ever heard did not paint a good picture. They were dangerous on a good day, the stuff of the most horrific of nightmares on a bad one. And Paul had the potential to become one of the worst of them. His bloodlines alone had pretty much set him up to be one of the wickedest creatures Colt could fathom. And he was already on a very steep and slippery slope, willingly crashing towards the bottom of the place you couldn’t come back from. He was aware that it was dangerous to Haven to even _attempt_ what he was about to take on, and while part of him understood the necessity-and not just to save the kid, to be honest-he had found himself somewhere between wary and resigned. The time-frame his guardian had to try and fix the kid was terrifyingly small, because he was getting stronger and colder with every day that passed. Haven had bare months at most before he would have to put the younger male down before he became a danger to everyone, not just the naïve council of idiots of his tribe or the lowlifes who ran afoul of him.

_Bare months before Paul was more than Haven could ever hope to handle…_

But even then he hadn’t really understood the danger until the day he’d met Paul. He’d misinterpreted ‘his abilities haven’t yet fully manifested’ for ‘he’s not yet all that dangerous’. It was only after he’d had his mind rolled by the calculating bastard that he realized how close he’d come to that mistake being fatal. Yeah he’d freaked out afterward, understandably so in his book, because he had no desire to be attracted to Paul or _any_ male, but beyond the freaking out he realized he’d been foolish. Because those pale and oh-so-alien eyes weren’t just lazily insolent, but glittering with cool maliciousness. He could practically smell the power on him and had been highly unnerved by the fact that traces of the male’s scent bore similarities to Colt’s guardian. It wasn’t exact, they weren’t the same species after all, but just that much of it had been enough to horrify him. Haven and those of his clan were the only ones of his kind that he’d ever met. They were rare as hell, and those of Haven’s blood-family were of a more benevolent sort despite much of history’s portrayal of them. A good thing too, because Haven’s kind were amongst the most dangerous creatures in the supernatural pantheon…really only topped by Paul’s _type_ if not his kind.

The kid _clearly_ wasn’t benevolent, especially given his intentions according to Haven. He couldn’t even take vicarious revenge against the kid via Haven’s fist to his head, because it had done little more than daze him and crack bone, something that he’d shaken off and that would scarcely have slowed him down if he’d gone off. Later, after Haven had called him to let him know how things had gone, the older male had quietly admitted that Paul was actually even stronger than he’d feared. He’d been afraid that, given Paul’s upbringing, ringing his mental bells would tip him right over the edge into a berserker fury that he was unsure he would be able to counter. Thankfully the younger male seemed more inclined to be amused by the novelty of someone actually being _able_ to do it, than he was to be pissed off. Astounding really, given the violence he’d grown up with. It was given the same amused tolerance as a freaking Gibbs-style head smack.

Haven had begun to spend more time with the kid, giving him what he needed to learn how to reconnect with others. Strangely enough, though not surprising, what Paul had needed most was an outlet for his aggression that could take everything he’d dish out and give it right back. His guardian had reported that the younger male’s ability to mimic anything he saw with his own body was limited only by what he was physically capable of. He’d never shoot laser beams out of his eyes, thank God, but some of the other things he would grow to be capable of would make him a truly formidable combatant in just about any arena.

Seeing the younger male wearing that wolf form however, had left a bad taste in his mouth…because somehow it had felt _wrong_. Unnatural and distasteful because for whatever else he was…a wolf wasn’t part of the equation.

And while he had certainly wanted to hold onto his grudge, he really wasn’t the type. The only two beings he’d ever successfully managed to hate in a permanent fashion were his sire and his sire’s chosen guard master. He’d put the perverted fuck through the floor the last time he had seen him, indifferent the sharp surprise on his sire’s face because the guard master was undeniably one of their best fighters. That had been a few years ago, and Marcus had suddenly become much more hesitant in his attempts to outmaneuver his oldest son. Haven would generally not intervene in politics, of which Molly wanted no part of anyway, so she was completely safe from the old man’s machinations. But recently Colt had begun to worry about the clan from a standpoint outside of being a scared cub, and he was beginning to make plans to take hold of his birthright. Usually the position of Alpha was handed down, father to eldest son, as had been tradition for thousands of years. The battle between the two was now more ceremonial than true violence, but Colt understood that _this_ time, he would need to defeat his sire in truth…and quite possibly have to kill him.

That was the only thing stopping him because patricide was something even he didn’t want to think about. Yes he had killed when needed, it was the way of things when he’d grown up, but killing one’s father was not something you just _did_ and shrugged off.

But for now, there were many things to think about.

Paul, he’d eventually discovered, wasn’t actually a bad kid. There were so many things that had been absent in his upbringing, that it wasn’t any surprise at all that he was so fucked up. Paul had no respect for anyone because he never been given any, something that Colt could understand. And when he’d finally understood that Paul had simply tried seduced him in an effort to kill him, because that was all it meant to him, he’d been deeply saddened to discover that for the young male sex and attraction were simply another weapon. He didn’t seem to understand how such things could possibly relate to him, given what his own mother had attempted to do to him. Colt understood what had caused her to do such a thing, he just couldn’t forgive it because you just didn’t do that shit to kids. She may not have completed the act, but it still left deep psychological scars.

Huh...

Apparently there was a _third_ and even a _fourth_ person that he actively hated…because Paul’s sire was top of the Shitheads: Most Wanted list. _Everyone_ hated that cold fucker…it was like rule number one in the supernatural communities that had any kind of understanding of the world outside of their species. It was so bad that _no one_ talked about him. No one spoke his name unless they desired to court his attention. _Ever._ He made Voldemort look fucking compassionate.

Colt understood that by now Paul respected him, something that he was actually proud of because of what such a thing meant when given by Paul. He even understood that Paul might not actually know how to like somebody as a trusted friend, but it didn’t matter because he liked Paul enough for the both of them. Yeah, the kid was a subtle and charming breed of asshole, and made no excuses for that fact, but somehow it actually made Colt like him _more_. Colt would never claim to be the most chill guy on the block, that position was clearly occupied by Haven, but learning how to work around the younger male’s idiosyncrasies had given him a new understanding of patience. And _that_ was a valuable lesson to be had.

But the most shocking change he’d seen in the kid was an easy acceptance of Bella Swan into his life. The changes she had a wrought in him had been gradual, but deeply significant. Everything from his sense of humor, which used to nearly always center around the violently morbid, to his hands-off demeanor. Even that manic need he’d had to hurt people seemed to have lessened to a degree. These weren’t things that were shallowly engraved into his nature, they were deeply seared into his very psyche.

His _psyche_ …Jesus…and wasn’t _that_ just a headfuck and a half…because he wasn’t supposed to even _have_ one.

That was actually part of the mess that was Paul, because creatures like him didn’t tend to come stock with conscience or soul. What little moral compass he actually possessed had been seriously skewed by them in a strange way. He would never be one of the most moral creatures, even were he raised by people who understood his nature, because some things in Paul weren’t truly broken…they’d never been there to begin with.

But Bella had somehow managed to blunt a great deal of those lethally sharp edges of his. To Colt’s knowledge, Paul hadn’t been in any real fights since his brawl with his cousin some months ago. The cruelty he’d never quite been able to curb rarely showed its face around the girl, and was never aimed at _her_. And touch? Not a problem with her, because he’d wanted her from that very first day. Paul had never been the sharing type, especially since the group of people he would actually say anything about her to was limited to only a handful. But Colt had definitely been one of them. He never questioned Paul about Bella herself, sensing that to do so with make him clam up, because he’d known that very first mention of _a_ _girl,_ beyond how much it pissed him off when they wouldn’t leave him alone, had made her special. So he had quietly listened when Paul occasionally mentioned her, curious about what they’d done and where they’d gone, and found himself growing irritated on her behalf when she would occasionally run into assholes who didn’t know how to treat a lady. Paul may not have articulated it that way, and maybe it was just because it was her personally that was important to him, but it was pretty clear that he felt the same…and he was just big and mean enough to do something about it.

Then he’d actually gotten to meet her for himself. He’d had a good idea of what she was like beforehand, but it was still a huge surprise. Because Bella Swan was a sweet, kind young woman who was as incredibly self-effacing as she was unconsciously sexy. He’d known she wasn’t physically imposing, but it was still somewhat shocking to see just how small she actually was, especially when she stood near Paul. But for as small she was, there was a strength of character there that he respected. No simpering little wuss could have wound that giant asshole around her little finger as effectively as _she_ had. And Haven didn’t take to just anybody… She may not have understood her place among Haven’s people, but she was definitely one of those he had claimed.

But the shit-storm on the horizon for that day? Well, he wasn’t wrong.

He was damned lucky that he’d fully charged his phone the night before, because the power was out in his neighborhood. He popped in his Bluetooth before pulling on his helmet, placing a call to the electric company as he started his bike and headed for work. Like most of his kind, he preferred to live outside of heavily settled areas, but the woman on the phone assured him that she would have somebody out to check on the power lines within two hours. He supposed that there were _some_ perks to living in such a small town, because there were not masses of people to attend to every day. And for a moment he’d allowed himself to be fooled into thinking that things might turn out okay that day…until he’d hit traffic. He’d left early thank God, and Forks was such a tiny town to begin with that a traffic jam there was hardly worth mentioning. It was caused by the power outage to begin with, but it became something else entirely by the time he hit town.

Still, it’d been hysterical when some little blonde jock punk driving a glittery mint green car with his equally snide little blonde passenger had tried to sneak past him on the shoulder so as to spend less time waiting in line. No one else would let them in, so they apparently decided that the man on the motorbike could be ‘persuaded’ to move over by the much larger car. Nobody was moving at that point, so he’d stood up while balancing the bike between his thighs and yanked his helmet off, giving the stupid boy a wicked smile as he stared them both down with his wildcat eyes. The girl’s mouth had opened in shock, a flush of embarrassed color climbing down from her hairline. The jock, whose mouth had actually been already open in what was likely an entitled bullshit demand, had closed his jaw with a snap. He knew exactly what he looked like, and it clearly wasn’t something the boy was foolish enough to take on. Both of them quickly turned to face forward, suddenly no longer impatient to get in line and they were still waiting there when he finally replaced his helmet and left them behind.

He had just turned into the employee parking lot, when a group text had come through from Cage. According to a few of his sources, there was some trouble going on in Seattle that was affecting the supernatural community. Even worse, there was apparently a Vampire who was foolishly attempting to create followers only to have them cut down. She didn’t seem to understand that such things were frowned upon by nearly every society that knew of it and stupidly kept right on trying to build some kind of Vampire army. She’d been sneaking about and hiding as best she could, given her undead stench, but there was no hiding from the Hellhounds and their Master who was well known to have never been terribly fond of Vampires in the first place. The common Vampire was considered to be little more than a cockroach by most, even those pretentious twits living in Italy and calling themselves kings.

_Kings, his ass…_

He was just jogging up the stairs to the second floor to take over the bar for Delia who was due a lunch break when that nagging sensation came back once more. Everything looked alright _so far_ , but in a place like this that could change in the heartbeat. He was actually a couple of minutes early, so it wasn’t really surprising when it took a while for the afternoon shift to filter in. The Werelion twins, Rex and Ryan, came up to make a sweep of the floor, Kell was due any moment, and Delia would take over the downstairs bar when she returned. Paul was also due any moment, and he wasn’t the type to be late.

The young twenty-somethings who tended to flock to the place on their days off were surprisingly well behaved that day, especially for a theme day. It did not mean that things wouldn’t get wild later, because they very likely would, but he would take whatever breaks he was offered. Especially with Paul on shift that day…he was a favorite both for his exotic good looks and the artistic way he had with a black liner-pencil. The cat-eyes he’d worn last time had been almost unnervingly attractive, and oddly fitting. Colt suspected that they were going to make another appearance today, because apparently Bella had liked them as well.

Things began to slowly pick up, so coincidentally it took him a little bit of time to realize that _something_ was happening out on the floor. He was just humming along to an old song the DJ had cued up…something about evacuating the dancefloor and the singer claiming she was intoxicated by watching the show unfolding and being hypnotized by it as well…and suddenly he _knew_ that what had been nagging at him was about to go down. He must’ve _just_ noticed hints of it from the corner of his eyes, but when he looked up, Paul was drifting towards the bar.

He’d been right about the cat-eyes, the big male’s lips once more shaded black with the hollows under his cheekbones subtly emphasized to give his face more of a sculpted, feline look. The perfect look for a hunter on the prowl…because he most certainly was.

There was an odd dreaminess to his expression, pale eyes heavy lidded and glittering, his lips tipped in a smile that looked somewhere between hungry and high. His gait was languid and fluid in a way that sent prickles of unease skittering down Colt’s spine, because it was very clear that he had clean forgot to pretend to be human in front of the normals. Even worse, it didn’t look like he gave any kinds of fucks at all…because Paul wasn’t _home._ Something _else_ was clearly in charge, watching shit go down with an almost detached interest. Because every person he brushed against in passing had suddenly lost any kind of inhibition they might normally have possessed. It was _unimaginably_ contagious, those caught in the grip of the effect spreading it to their partners or companions, something so insidious and painfully delicious that humans were simply incapable of shrugging it off. The stroking of hands and caress of lips becoming less and less controlled and publicly acceptable for the normally puritanical and prudish species no matter how liberated they considered themselves to be.

_And it was still spreading…_

Because now the people who brushed against those already caught up in the heat of mindless lust were beginning to fall prey and spreading it further. Bodies were pressed up against walls as couples writhed together in mindless abandon, grinding together in ways that gave no illusions as to where things were heading. Clothing was beginning to slip away under the desperate need for sex…couples, trios, and multiples beginning to engage in acts that would likely have seen them arrested.

Colt heard a startled growl come from beside him as Kell suddenly picked up on what was happening. “Oh shit…” he muttered, voice strained. His dilated eyes were huge and uneasy as he took in the insanity unfolding in front of them. It also didn’t help things that as male Weres, the scent of lust saturating the entire room was making it hard for them to function effectively, let alone think in a linear fashion that did not include stripping down and joining in.

Colt tore his eyes away from the spectacle, heart hammering in his throat because there was no way he could allow this to continue but stopping it might be something beyond him. Paul had finally reached the bar, his expression unchanged as he watched the fallout. Colt couldn’t imagine what this felt like for _him_ , but was equally as certain that he didn’t _want_ to know because there was no way he would be able to forget. And while Colt did not want to get involved in this, there was no choice in the matter. Realizing that no one was paying any attention to him for the display on the dance floor, Colt planted his hands on the bar before swinging his body up and parallel in an effortless motion that would surely have given away his supernatural nature on any other day.

“Kid?” he tried, waving a hand in front of those distant eyes.

Nothing.

Reaching up, Colt set both hands on those broad shoulders and shook him, trying to get his attention. Blue eyes met his briefly, lips parting faintly to show the glint of sharp teeth. It wasn’t exactly a threat, but Colt would be stupid to take it otherwise. That his eyes had picked up a glow was also worrying, because it meant that shit was just getting started. Glancing over at Kell, who shook his head in resignation, Colt sighed at the inevitable. “Well, fuck,” he muttered.

Colt planted his fist as hard as he could in that eerily remote face, dreading the outcome but knowing he had no choice in the matter. He felt his knuckles crack at the impact but thankfully it was enough to pull Paul out of wherever he had been inside his head. The larger male whipped his head around with a snarl, lip curled and eyes narrowed in instinctive and aggressive hatred. Thankfully he recognized who had struck him before he retaliated and his expression mellowed into wary confusion, one brow lift in question.

“You gotta turn that shit off!” Colt demanded, so relieved to have kept his head attached that he felt a bit jittery, kind of like coming off an adrenaline rush.

Unfortunately, the kid had no idea what he was talking about as he cocked his head to the side in a silent request for elaboration.

Colt swung his arm out across the crowd that was just about to cross the line from public indecency to public fucking. The younger male’s eyes widened in surprise of his own, the laziness of his sprawl against the front of the bar disappearing. “…the absolute fuck…?” he rasped, brows drawn up into wicked peaks as something close to shock flickered across his face.

Which just confirmed for Colt what he suspected all along, that the kid had no idea what the hell was going on. He goddamn hated the whole situation, because he didn’t like keeping Paul in the dark, but deals were deals and unbreakable to his kind without consequences so dire and ugly that he shuddered to contemplate them. Being dismembered after being disemboweled with a rusted spork would have been preferable, because Paul’s aunt would not take kindly to such a thing. Mentally cringing, Colt forced his train of thought away from the grisly possibilities. Because it wouldn’t be _him_ that she would come after, and he wasn’t about to set Haven up for that kind of battle. She might not have been as casually cruel as her brother, but _that_ female was not one to cross.

It took the Leopard all of three seconds to realize that he had been woolgathering much too long. The younger male was slowly detaching from his surprise, drifting back into a place where if he fell deep enough Colt wouldn’t be able to pull him back until he was fully satiated, glutted and replete with the power he was drawing off the unwitting masses.

Curling a hand against the back of the younger male’s neck, he pulled until the kid was looking down at him. “Paul! Snap out of it!” Colt barked. “You need to get your ass back to Bella!”

Paul shook his head hard as if to clear it, eyes wide, and it was pretty telling when he didn’t argue about the necessity. Still… “You’ll be short…” he rumbled. Because Paul had not once left Haven in the lurch since he had begun working for him.

Colt beckoned to Kell and the pair of them began shoving bodies out of their way, in a couple of cases actually pulling them up off the floor as they led Paul to the stairs. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll clear it with Haven. You just get back to your girl. If I’m recallin’ correctly, if you hurry, you should just catch her on her way out the door? “

Apparently that was all the convincing he needed, because he was gone less than a handful of moments later. Kell lifted a blonde brow before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a lighter. “I’ll take care of the kids if you want to field the boss,” he offered.

“Done deal,” Colt returned and ambled over towards the bar, watching as the Fox skillfully scaled one of the columns along the edge of the dance floor before flicking on the lighter and waving it slowly under the smoke detector. This wasn’t the first time club staff had been forced to resort to such measures, and Haven had made certain that their detectors were extra-sensitive for just that reason. And no more than seconds passed before the sprinklers popped on, drenching the unsuspecting writhing bodies and drawing shrieks from many of them as they were abruptly shocked back to their senses. The ones standing on the sidelines out of reach of the downpour, Kell sprayed with the hose. It may not have been the most graceful way to put a halt to things, but it was damned effective…and no one would be going home pregnant because they had happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The phone rang just like Colt had suspected it would and he hurriedly snatched it up.

“Problems up there?” came Haven’s voice.

Colt grunted as he watched the Fox and the Lion twins along with DJ begin to herd the kids towards the stairs where staff would be waiting with stacks of towels. “You remember that shit you told us to watch out for with the kid right before you brought him in?”

“I remember,” Haven returned, voice mild and amused. “I take it he made things interesting?”

“ _Interesting!?_ ” Colt sputtered the word incredulously, more than just mildly irritated. “He just _accidentally_ incited an orgy!”

There was silence on the other end of the line as the other male digested the news. Then deep laughter that started slow and almost incredulous and built up to wicked amusement. “He’s an _Active,_ then _…_ I never would have predicted _that_.”

“As opposed to,” Colt demanded.

“ _Passives._ Which are far more common. Thankfully. The basic traits run in his bloodline after all, and to my knowledge there’s only one other Active. Again… _thankfully_.” He paused a moment. “Where is he now?”

“I sent him on to Bella. He had no idea what the hell was goin’ on and it seemed safer for everyone to get him out of here before he couldn’t stop.” Colt sighed and dragged a hand down his face. He’d just known shit was going to happen today… “Anyway. You know he’s gonna have questions when he gets back. Are there any answers at all that we can give him?”

Haven’s tone was as patient as it was firm. “That wasn’t the deal I made. To keep him under the radar, I had to promise that I would answer no questions until he knew the correct ones to ask. I don’t dare risk breaking the bargain now. Even if _she_ dislikes the reason I needed to make it in the first place just as much as I do, she is also bound by blood loyalty. This was the very best she could give me, and it was generous beyond what I would’ve expected.”

“Christ I hate politics,” Colt said. “Almost as much as I hate keepin’ things from the kid when he deserves to know.”

“Preaching to the choir, I assure you,” Haven returned, a touch of ire in his own tone. He’d never been terribly tolerant when anyone threatened one of his people, and despite the fact that Paul could have easily taken him down at that point, Haven still considered him to be one of his own.

“So apparently the Wild Hunt is loose in Seattle,” Colt finally offered hesitantly. “There’s also rumors that a Vampire is tryin’ to start her very own little army. She’s also not bright enough to understand why she keeps losin’ her ‘recruits’. And The Lord is not bein’ terribly discriminant about how he’s been dispatchin’ ‘em. Beheadin’ newborns still leaves a body behind, and the mortal authorities are beginnin’ to pull their heads out of the sand on all the strange shit goin’ down. Hellhounds are one thing, most humans write them off as mutant dogs or Mastiffs, but some of the Wilder Host are causin’ problems.”

“Oh, it gets better still…” Haven bit out as if he were sinking his teeth into the words he didn’t want to actually say. “Paul’s sire is in Seattle hunting for him.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ! You couldn’t have given me better news?! Like, say, there’s an apocalypse that’s set to happen any day now?!” Colt balked even as his mind blanked. Absolutely refused to absorb or compute the new information. Because just being in the same state as that bastard was threatening to give him hives. He’d never met Illarion and he could joyfully go the rest of his unnaturally long existence without doing so. He didn’t envy Paul in the slightest for their eventual confrontation, though he suspected that Illarion would find his progeny to be one _incredibly_ nasty surprise when he came and attempted to collect him. Paul had no reason in the world to trust him and every reason to hate him. Thankfully, the deal Haven had made with Illarion’s sister had given Colt’s guardian a chance to instill a bit of humanity in the kid before his sire showed up in an attempt to drag him away from everything he’d ever known. But- “He’s not ready yet…” Colt said quietly.

“He’s not ready yet,” Haven agreed. “But we can carve out a few more months for him. We’ll have to change our supply routes out of Seattle however, because that bastard’s the reason why the Erlking has made it his hunting ground. He traded favors to The Hunter for his assistance in locating Paul and we don’t want the Hounds or any of his darker creatures picking up Paul’s scent. Thankfully twenty years is a long time to try and pick up the trail…it’s gone cold and mortal memory, especially when threatened with a sword to the throat, is not terribly reliable. “

Colt winced. “The bar owner down on the beach with the horses?” A particularly gruesome method of execution usually performed with four horses instead of the two used in this case…warhorses of their particular breed were terrifyingly strong. He’d seen it done a few times as a youngster, the fearful screams of the victim something he would ever forget.

“The bar owner,” Haven agreed. “Previously he was the bartender who likely was on the floor the night Paul’s mother had the misfortune to visit, who did well for himself and bought out the bar when he came into his inheritance.”

“And all the new inmates in the psych wards?”

“A great deal of them due to Paul’s sire being the greedy and selfish prick that he’s always been.”

“You know...I’d almost be willin’ to give my left nut to see that asshole’s face when he shows up and finds out that Paul isn’t the malleable and tractable child he’s been expectin’,” Colt grated vindictively.

“I’ll make certain you’re there, no self-mutilation necessary,” Haven assured with dry amusement. “There’s more than a few of us who would _love_ to see that as it is.”

Colt snorted. “Delia actually said that she would be willin’ to attempt to give him supernatural herpes if she could just find the right spell to make it permanent.”

“Which is just about a declaration of war coming from _her,”_ Haven replied. The Witch and Paul had never managed to become all that close, but Delia was very defensive of her people. She and her sisters were actually orphans, and while on paper she was raising them by herself, most of the males in their group were incredibly territorial of the little ones. She never had to hunt for a helping hand or twelve. The little girls were understandably wary of Paul, but they still loved him because for all of his size, he was gentle with them even if he didn’t speak much and that alone secured Delia’s loyalty to him.

_It damn near was,_ Colt decided fondly. It also happened to be the most aggressive thing he’d ever heard come out of her sweet mouth. And fuck if that hadn’t turned him on just a little…course there was very little about her that _didn’t, s_ omething that was getting harder to hide from her with every day that passed by. But they both had just a little too much on their plates right then to deal with his stupid hormones. He could only think whatever God was listening that she didn’t have a Were’s sense of smell or he would have been screwed; and not in the way his libido was begging for. He knew that he’d been carrying a torch for the Witch for a while now, and likely would for some time to come, but a young woman raising two little girls who still had nightmares from witnessing their parent’s deaths at the hands of a sick but unfortunately extremely powerful Warlock? That was just not someone who could be fairly expected to spare feelings for anyone else. Those two little cubs needed her, and Colt just so happened to be one of those aforementioned territorial males.

“I wouldn’t give up on her so quickly,” Haven suggested quietly. Because that bastard always knew exactly what was going on in people’s heads just when they wished he didn’t.

“Not givin’ up on her boss,” Colt sighed. “Not sure I could at this point. But she’s not ready, and I’m not the asshole who’s gonna push her. She’s shown no interest in anyone else either, so I’m not takin’ it personally that Delia is doin’ her best by Tabby an’ Bea right now.”

There were a few moments of heavy silence from the other side of the line as Haven weighed his words before quietly murmuring that his choices were his own and he would respect them. Colt knew the older male was well aware of how he felt, because there was actually no way to hide things from someone whose gift was to just ‘know shit’ whenever the information happened to be needed. Colt had no illusions about the fact that there was a great deal that Haven never spoke of, but he’d make no bets that Haven didn’t know just about everything in nearly every situation he found himself in. It was how he always found his strays, the supernatural creatures he took in and looked after to the best of his ability, the ones who always needed him the most. And some of those would go on to become the ones who would affect the course of history.

But knowing what needed to be done did not mean that he was allowed to be the one to do it. The curse of his situation was knowing that free will needed to be respected and accounted for, despite how much better he might be able to things if he just waded in and _fixed_ everything for everyone. That would be an abuse of his gift, and for his kind abuse of one’s gifts meant warping or losing them altogether. And just because you _could_ save the world didn’t mean you _should_ when it didn’t _want_ to be saved.

And right now all Haven could do, besides stand in the shadows, was provide guidance was provide for the falloutinin a situationbefore _THE_ confrontation. The one slated to occur more than twenty years before…a confrontation that would affect the lives of many in ways that Colt couldn’t even begin to fathom…

>}:{<

Bella yawned as she turned in her last assignment for the day. She wasn’t really all that tired, more like bored out of her mind as she gathered her things in preparation to leave. She was grateful it was Friday because that meant she could drive back to Paul’s and do very little (other than hopefully Paul) for the next couple of days.

Lunch had been a little interesting, because she had been cornered by an inquisitive Angela who had gently questioned her on the previous evening. She didn’t exactly want point by point details, but Bella was one of her best friends and she was certainly curious over how things had gone. Bella had assured her friend that Paul had been more than generous and thorough in his attentions. When her face had predictably turned red, Angela had giggled and said that her reaction would have said it all even without the words.

Thankfully Bella wasn’t quite as bad off as she had been the previous day, a little more used to the bareness of her own body. But that was when her mind was on other things such as the latest math test, or the practice piece she was painting for art class. It had been a good day. But she was determined to make it better by finishing what she had started with Paul the night before. Because clearly he was inclined to be sexually generous and she couldn’t help thinking about how it could possibly be any better when he was given full-rein. She was lucky that today had been mostly lecturers instead of teachers asking questions and expecting answers because her head had been miles away. She was a little disappointed that she still had almost the entirety of Paul’s shift before she saw him again, because even though she wasn’t fighting to find her courage this time she still pretty much wanted to jump him just as badly as she had that morning when he lain there and watched her with so much heat in his eyes. Practically _daring_ her to play hooky and come back to bed with him. Even worse, she was all too aware of how good he could make her feel if she would just give in and let him have his way.

She had just put on her jacket when she was suddenly hit with the urge that she needed to hurry towards the front doors. Shoving her books in her bag, she stepped down the hallways and to the big double doors towards the crowd of students that apparently decided to take up residence on the sidewalk lining the parking lot. All of them were gawking at the huge male who was swiftly stalking forward across the blacktop, his eyes intent on the teenagers as he quickly scanned through them for the one he was looking for.

It wasn’t often that Bella forgot just how big Paul was. That he was such a breathtaking thing to see never escaped her however, no matter how many times she saw him. And even beautiful as he was, no photograph would actually do him justice because Bella suspected he could look like a bridge-troll and he would still attract in droves. It was that thing that set him apart even from his fellow Wolves, the thing that even _he_ had admitted to. The thing that drew and pulled and made you want him above and beyond what terrified you. Only now it was so in-your-face that the fear factor was doing little to deter one from wanting to enter his sphere.

_Something_ had happened. _Changed._ Or awoken…because he usually did a more believable attempt at looking human. His eyes were wicked and wild in the feline mask he had painted over a face drawn tight with lust. He must’ve forgotten his jacket wherever it was he had just come from, and while it wasn’t snowing it was incredibly chilly out, but it didn’t seem to matter to him at all. The shirt he was wearing clung almost jealously to his body, deepest black with odd shimmers of dark metallic gold highlighting his perfect musculature as he moved through the cold afternoon sunlight. Strange that monochromatic black clothing usually made one look smaller, because it was failing miserably in this case. He looked utterly massive and so very catlike-a gigantic black wild cat hunting its prey upright instead of on all fours-that she actually wondered just how the Wolf had ever managed to take up residence in his body.

Such a strange new thought for her, because she knew for a fact that it was _there_ even if she had never encountered it. She had asked in the past if she could meet his Wolf, but it was one of the very few things he had ever denied her because he didn’t know how it would react to her. He’d said that he felt _wrong_ wearing that form and couldn’t always predict the way it would behave because it felt _alien_ to him. Something he had never told anyone but her. Sam had _also_ mentioned that Paul’s Wolf-form was strange somehow in a way he couldn’t really name, both males in a rare occurrence of being in agreement.

That was all beside the point right now, however, because Paul was clearly being affected by _something_ that had dug it’s claws in deep and was driving him. Then he was stepping up onto the curb, giving absolutely no thought to the gaping stares and whispers that ran rampant through the others as he prowled through them carelessly, his sheer presence knocking them back and out of his path towards Bella. She couldn’t quite help it when she retreated a step, her back abruptly finding the wall as he advanced on her with that laser-like focus. She hadn’t meant to, because even with the knowledge that he wouldn’t hurt her, even _she_ was aware of what it looked like to a predator to back away when they advanced on you. Giving way meant that you were submissive or straight-up prey, and while she was very aware that she was no alpha, playing up to his dominant tendencies in public might end up leading them into a situation that she couldn’t explain away to _anyone_ … _ever_.

But it was the look on his face that made her a little nervous. Because he looked like he was well past the contemplation part of the program and was ready to just fuck her _right_ _there_ on the sidewalk. She didn’t even have time to ask him what had set him off, because he’d been so unbelievably patient the night before and the contrast was startling, before he’d yanked her right up off the ground. Then his black-shaded lips were on hers and he was kissing her with a single-minded intensity that both derailed her train of thought and made it impossible for her to _want_ to think past what he was doing. The sensation of fangs scraping gently across her lower lip when he pulled it in between his own with a tug. The faint rasping roughness of his tongue where it stroked with teasing slowness along her own, flicking against her captured lip as it momentarily withdrew.

She forgot where they were, who was watching, and why this should stop. The thoroughness of his kiss and the hand he had fisted through her hair had her tilting her head back sharply to encourage him, desire drowning out an obnoxious little voice in the back of her head that insisted this was _such_ a bad idea that it couldn’t even enumerate all the reasons why she shouldn’t be doing this. Shouldn’t be curling her fingers along the back of his neck to hold him there. Shouldn’t be pulling her legs up to wrap them around his waist. And she _definitely_ shouldn’t be making those tiny little encouraging sounds when he completely crossed the lines of public decency by slowly curling his hips up tight against hers in a way that made his arousal unmistakable.

She wasn’t really aware of when the silence of her fellow students became cheering and good-natured encouragement, but she was _definitely_ aware when a voice began protesting off to her right _._ An official sounding voice that sounded more like a teacher demanding that the students disperse, and that whoever it was against the wall vacate the premises before the authorities were called and they were reported for indecent public displays on school grounds.

It was hard to pull her brain back out from where it had been hiding, her hormones having staged a coup against her ability to reason. And Paul definitely wasn’t helping things, because as soon as she pulled her lips away from his to turn and reassure the teacher both of the fact that she was actually a student there and that they were just leaving, he dragged her higher and ducked his head to scrape his teeth with gentle possessiveness along the delicate skin just below the curve of her jaw. Then his tongue swirled slowly to sooth the faint sting before he was pulling against her skin with little pinpricks of pleasure that shot across her nerve endings to places that were just _really_ not school-appropriate. Not _public-appropriate_ at the very least. And all of the sudden she was desperately biting her tongue and widening her eyes as she tried _not_ to moan right in front of the scandalized woman, all buttoned up in her neat Sunday-schoolesque best with her sensible shoes and her hair coiled primly at the nape of her neck.

Bella had always been aware that Paul never gave two fucks what most people thought about him. But whatever it was that had him in its grip left him seemingly amused by the offended little gasp that parted the woman’s pinched lips, because his lips curved against her skin as he let out a quiet rumble of amusement. Then he pulled away and glanced over Bella’s head at the intruder. She couldn’t see the Were’s face, but the sudden blush and nervous back-step of the teacher gave Bella a pretty good idea of things. Nearly everyone standing beside the teacher had also blushed despite the grins on some of their faces. They just couldn’t help themselves and really Bella didn’t blame them at all because she knew _exactly_ how wicked he could look when he was on the make.

Now _normally_ , he was just a little bit subtler with how he approached ‘things’. _This_ time however…?

Right about the time the teacher, Miss Gorzinki the freshman English teacher-was opening her mouth to issue what was certain to be a very thorough and disapproving dressing down, Paul twisted and Bella suddenly found herself being swung over a thickly muscled shoulder and watching as everyone was left behind. The teacher sputtered indignantly for a moment, Bella’s surname being spoken in tones of severe censure before Paul once more turned his cold alien eyes on her and her words choked off into silence.

Angela, who Bella had been unaware of in the crowd of students, watched them leave with wide eyes. Bella had no idea what was was going to say to her when she spoke to her next, because it was pretty damned clear was about to happen. But for _some_ reason, other than being faintly embarrassed by the renewed cheers of her classmates, Bella really wasn’t all that upset about things. Maybe it had to do with the fact that they were cheering her on instead of jeering at her that made the difference. Or maybe it was the fact that her ridiculously hot boyfriend made absolutely no bones about how much he wanted her, but she just couldn’t find it in herself to worry about who was going to say what and what kind of gossip would circle the mill. Miss Gorzinki still looked like she had bitten into a lemon, though when Bella blinked, _Jessica_ had appeared at the woman’s elbow and started chattering animatedly at her. She touched the woman’s arm, drawing her complete attention and distracting her from her ire even as the other girl flashed Bella a quick and unmistakable wink.

_Huh…_

She never would have expected help from _that_ quarter…

Then she just didn’t have the time to think about it anymore, because he’d flipped her upright and dropped her on the back of his bike, giving her just enough time to clutch at his waist before he was kicking the engine over and peeling out of the parking lot with a roar.

The ride back to his house was pretty much a blur. She was well aware of the fact that he was a preternaturally gifted driver, but his impatience was causing him to take crazy chances at speeds that she didn’t even want to contemplate. She spent much of the trip plastered against him with her eyes clenched shut and her cheek pressed tightly against his back. She could feel the easy flow of his body as he bent the bike closer to the ground than he usually did with her riding along, the heat of his body that somehow felt even more intense than usual. She’d had the sense the night before that he was rather like a high performance engine temporarily at idle. Only now, something had rammed the accelerator on his libido and was revving it right off the scale.

She felt the turns coming closer together as he drove through La Push at speeds that would probably enrage the elders for his temerity. And were normally Bella would be far more hesitant in the face of such a thing, right now she just couldn’t care.

It wasn’t long after that that she finally felt Paul slowing down and opened her eyes to see that they were coming up his driveway. She was honestly a little relieved that he was at least aware enough to open the garage and idle into it. Because she was starting to feel a little bit nervous again. She wasn’t anywhere close to wanting to change her mind, but he was just a little more out of control than he’d been the night before. She _still_ knew that he wouldn’t hurt her, but she didn’t have a _plan._

_He did._

She had just enough time to shrug off her book bag and jacket before he caught her by the hand and began leading her toward the stairs. She was thankful that he wasn’t going to just jump on her right there in the living room because sometimes the Pack had problems remembering to _knock_ when entering the others’ homes. She didn’t exactly stumble after him but she did have to jog a little just to keep up with his longer stride. Then they were back at the original scene of the crime as it were…watching each other tensely to see who would make the first move. His breathing was just a little deeper than normal, that faint dull flush climbing up over his gorgeous cheekbones as he watched her through glowing and flashing eyes.

She was beginning to wonder if that lightning affect had anything to do with sexual desire, because it was the only time she’d ever seen it.

_But that was neither here nor there._

Because right then, Bella had decided to make the first move. Pulling her eyes away from his, she reached out and braced her hand against the doorframe while she bent to unlace her boots and then stepped out of them, tucking her socks into them before straightening again and stepping forward. Her hands moved toward her fly as she slowly pulled the buttons loose, shivering faintly at the low growl that spilled into the space between them when the denim slid down her legs and pooled around her ankles before she stepped away from them. But that sound coming from _him_ gave her the courage to cross her arms in front of her torso and pull the shirt up over her head before dropping it to the floor. She risked a glance up at him through her lashes, pleased by the utterly entranced expression on his face as he watched her…the way his hands curled into fists against his thighs and his whole body seemed to tighten with anticipation. It really wasn’t much of a performance, but watching her peel away her clothing was clearly stripping away pieces of his control. Stealing one more quick look at him as she reached up behind her back for the clasp on her bra, it really wasn’t hard to see just what kind of effect she was having on him. She unconsciously bit her lower lip as she pushed away the urge to reach out and put her hands on him.

“Careful,” he grated in mild warning, his voice stroking deliciously against her senses. Because he always seemed to know exactly what she wanted from him. And she had a sudden thought he didn’t really even need to _touch_ her at all, all he ever had to do was speak to her and she would just be _gone_.

Then the soft stretchy lace of her bra, the pale icy blue color that matched her underwear-and more specifically the shade of his eyes-slid down over her shoulders and away from her breasts. She took in a breath to steady herself before squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin like she wasn’t anxious at all and then watched as his eyes dilated until the blue was nearly swallowed up. And where it should have been awkward, if not downright intimidating, to stand there in her bare skin and let him look at her while he stood there fully clothed…it just _wasn’t._ Because her nervousness had nothing to do with being good enough for him, pretty enough or sexy enough to make him want her. There were absolutely no doubts about that, not with the way he was watching her…like he didn’t see anything else but her. It was just the newness of it all, the _anticipation_ that caused shivers to dance over her skin despite the warmth of his bedroom.

When she finally lifted a hand to invite him into her space, he came slowly, _carefully,_ as if he didn’t want to spook her. He didn’t exactly drive her backwards with the size of his body, but her back met the wall just the same. It didn’t feel like he was caging her, because as soon as the faint chill of the wall touched her skin he was dropping to his knees with his body brushing down the front of hers in passing, thighs spread wide to bracket her legs. Her breath caught momentarily as he bent and pressed his lips to her left breast were her heart thundered in response, his forearms braced against the wall on either side of her. It was an oddly sweet gesture that somehow comforted despite the intensity of the situation, because it felt like he was silently saying that _she_ was what mattered before everything else. Above and beyond his own wants and desires, no matter how brutally they drove him on.

Then he simply drifted downward, lips skimming against her skin until he reached the tightly pebbled nipple. White teeth gently nipped, scraping against sensitive nerve endings and sending sensation skittering across the entire breast almost like an electric current…the smooth slide of his hair against her skin providing a contrast that had goosebumps suddenly and almost painfully rippling across the surface. Something embarrassingly like a squeak escaped her lips, but she found herself reaching up and pulling him closer despite it, fingers threading through black satin as he obliged her by pulling her into the heat of his mouth. She didn’t really know why she suddenly found herself dancing up onto her toes, she couldn’t really help herself either as her spine arched in an attempt to get closer to him. She felt his hands suddenly appear as if by magic at the back of her thighs, gently squeezing before they slowly wandered upwards, so warm that she could almost imagine the ghost-sensation of heat drifting away from her skin as they passed by.

She was scarcely aware of the way his fingers hooked into the lace against her hips and slowly drew it down her legs, the way his arm curled around her waist and lifted so that he could remove the fragile undergarment completely. She suspected that was the last she would see of _them_ as well, but couldn’t bring herself to care because he had once more set her down on her feet leaving his hands free to wander at will. She remembered him once joking about being good with his hands, and at the time the comment had gone right over her head because _holy shit_ had she been naïve; she realized now that she had completely underestimated just _how_ good he could be. They were moving over her bare skin, slowly mapping out the places he had yet to touch and reacquainting themselves with others. The firm squeeze just before the slow massaging roll of the muscles in her butt under those broad palms that was somehow soothing, because the stroke of his tongue against her skin was anything but.

She felt like her bones were going liquid under the careful strength of his hands, even while her skin felt like it was meltingly hot everywhere his mouth touched her. She almost growled in protest when he slowly pulled away from her breast, hands tugging at him fitfully for a moment before he gently shifted her and then gave the same attention to the right one. Both of them felt swollen and sensitive and curiosity had her looking down at the nipple he’d just abandoned…now rosy against the paleness of all the rest of her and tight from his attentions. She was reaching for it before she realized what she was doing, skimming her fingertips across the tip and listening to the soft snarl Paul let out when he caught it from the corner of his eye, as if the sight of her touching herself even that tiny bit was enough to get to him. Then she was squirming, either to get closer or away she wasn’t sure, as his tongue rasped almost teasingly against the delicate flesh, soft little sounds of helpless encouragement spilling from her suddenly dry lips and finding answer in a more masculine rumble of approval.

Things were starting to get a bit fuzzy inside her head, her thoughts just a little blurry as he pulled her into him. He was so warm, everywhere he touched her was shivering with pleasure and the need for more. But his pace was so torturously slow that she wanted to wrap herself around him and beg him to _hurry please hurry_ before she combusted. Because she was absolutely certain that she would…just burst in little tiny fragments of Bella and never to be whole again. But this was _Paul_. He knew. He always knew _exactly_ what she needed and proved it as he lifted her from the ground and shrugged her legs over his shoulders. She almost wanted to be embarrassed by how quickly she came apart. Just scant seconds after that rough tongue stroked slowly across her clit and she jerked like she’d been touched by a live wire. She hadn’t even realized how close the edge she was until she shattered so hard that it seemed to knock the breath out of her, leaving her gasping and arching against him with her heels dug into the back of his shoulder blades.

_And just like before it didn’t even slow him down…_

He just curled her hips backwards in his hands until her shoulders once more met the wall, giving her a near-perfect view down the line of her body-and the shockingly arousing first-hand view of him licking his way across her. He wasn’t watching her, far too enthralled with enjoying himself. She’d never really thought that she could actually watch him do this, had thought she would be too far embarrassed, but…she just couldn’t _not_. And he clearly wasn’t doing it simply because he thought it might be something she would enjoy. It wasn’t simple generosity. The growl that vibrated against her when she pulled him closer said that he just straight-up _loved_ to do this…like it was his freaking _Zen_ _place_. He didn’t mind at it all when she couldn’t stop herself from rolling her hips up into him, seeming to actually _encourage_ it with a low rumbling purr as the tip of his tongue teased against her entrance, sliding up inside of her with delicate pressure before withdrawing again while she hissed through her teeth.

It was utterly maddening and she knew Paul was well aware it. It also wasn’t long before she was gritting her teeth against desperate pleas for him to just let her have the release that was building and building, so high and dizzying that she could feel her thighs beginning to tremble under the pressure of it. Her lungs were screaming for air because she couldn’t seem to _breathe_ like a normal person, her vision darkening along the edges while her heart jumped almost painfully in her chest.

She was only dimly aware of the litany that finally broke from her mouth. Something that sounded like, “ _Oh please oh please oh please oh please oh **fuck**!” _ right before his tongue drove deep and then she was crashing and burning and _liquefying_ before crashing all over again. And it didn’t matter at all that she had broken and begged him for it because he made it worth it.

But Bella wasn’t satisfied with just messing around this time. Her blood was already singing through her veins from three rapid-fire orgasms and she felt wonderfully energized. Almost like she was buzzed on caffeine.

Gently scraping her nails along the back of his neck and delighting in the results, a subtle shiver chased by a near-silent growl, she finally cupped her hands alongside his face and slowly urged him back. She could almost feel his reluctance to stop even if he never actually fought her. She didn’t really doubt that he’d have been utterly content right where he was for a few hours more. But those plans she had made the day before were still waiting for her to complete them. And she _wanted_ to. Wanted to know how much better it could feel with him crashing over the edge with her… _inside_ _of_ _her_ and not just under her hands no matter how much fun that had been.

She was careful as she shifted in his grip and felt the gentle press of his lips just below the indent of her navel, something that made her smile because it was that sweetness in him that was only for her; she had no illusions about him finding it for anyone else. No idea at all how he’d found that softness just _then_ because his eyes were so wild-like he wasn’t completely in control, hadn’t been since he’d appeared in the school parking lot. But he was still managing to take cues from her as he shifted her in his hands and set her back down on her feet. Her legs were understandably just a little shaky as she stood there before slowly reaching out and curling her fingers just underneath the high collar of his shirt and urging him to his feet. He came up slowly, his lips meeting hers before he hit full height. She couldn’t help but let him do it, because he was just so good at kissing and clearly liked it, something that even she with her limited experience knew was a rarity in a male.

But finally she pushed him back a couple of inches until he was standing in front of her. Lifting her eyes to his, she watched him carefully to ensure that he would stay where she wanted him, before finally reaching up for the gold ring of the zipper set against the hollow of his throat. The visual effect of it immediately reminded her of the hastily stifled fantasy she had had of him at the very beginning with a collar around his neck. And somehow, _that of all things_ had her face turning a bright and almost painful red. It really wasn’t fair at all that he somehow knew it too, a low chuckle rumbling in his throat. “You _know_ all you ever have to do is ask…” he purred, lips faintly curved in an utterly sinful little smile.

_Holy…fuck…_

She was pretty sure her brain actually hiccupped at the suggestion. Sure, he had mentioned it before…but she hadn’t really processed what that meant: that Paul wouldn’t just go along with it because she was curious, but that he was totally willing to play that game. And that he’d do it with that wicked smile on his face. He’d _enjoy_ it, too. Bella didn’t really have any Dom tendencies, it wasn’t about that at all. But it _was_ about possessiveness, something she felt certain that he would understand better than anyone else.

Tabling the idea for a time when she wouldn’t choke on her own tongue trying to discuss it, she slowly pulled the gold ring downward and wondered how she could _ever_ forget just how easily he could entice her. How just seeing him like this made her hands itch to reach out and touch him. Like her mind just couldn’t compute it. And while she knew that he’d never object to her getting handsy no matter the location or possible company included, it still amazed her that it was _her_ that got to.

She watched her hand reach out and settle over his heart as it paced a steady beat. Couldn’t help admiring the contrast of the rich black of his shirt against the smooth, golden velvet of his skin. Enjoying the way he moved into her touch when she rested her other hand against the opposite pectoral and slowly dragged them down the heavy musculature of his body, fingers spreading as she went as if she could encompass more of him that way. His own hands came up to settle against the curve of her hips, his thumbs tracing patterns against her skin. He wasn’t quite as tense as he had been when they had come into the room, but Paul was still far from relaxed as he stood there and let her explore. His eyes still bore the effects of his desires, not that she could really have _missed_ the way his body had shamelessly given it all away.

Every part of her felt like it was humming with anticipation, finally overriding the last of her inhibitions. She didn’t even notice as they slunk away, because she was far too busy climbing him like a tree and pulling his mouth back down to hers. Too busy with the way the feel of his body had imprinted itself against the front hers as he leaned into her. Yeah, he was heavy as hell…but somehow she enjoyed it. And she enjoyed it even more when one of his hands drifted down around the back of the thigh pressed against his hip, snaking right up the inside of her leg before those long fingers slid deeply inside of her. Every limb she had wrapped around him pulled tighter for moment in reaction as she gasped against his lips in something like surprise liberally touched with relief. She didn’t know why she didn’t care one way or the other for it when it was just her own hands at work, but when it was _him_ she honestly felt like trying to climb the walls.

But as much as she loved what he was doing, the slow thrusts inside of her making her buck against him in response, she knew it wasn’t quite enough for what she had in mind. It wasn’t the release she was after _._

Gently catching his lower lip between her teeth, she gave it a soft tug and mumbled, “More.”

She loved the way he groaned just then, deep-throated and rough while the kiss went wild for a few moments. It was distracting as hell. Consequently, she really wasn’t thinking straight about anything. And maybe that was actually his intention because she wasn’t tensing up and overthinking things when his rhythm paused, didn’t even think to panic when she felt herself stretching open wider around his fingers, the feeling sharper than she had been prepared for. A fullness that made her gasp in surprise for a moment or two before she forced herself to relax even more and just _breathe_. It didn’t hurt… _exactly_. Nor was it all that comfortable despite how slick she was. It was just a far more intense sensation than she was used to, the unexpected pressure inside of her building into a strange aching that pulled an uncertain moan from her lips.

It wasn’t uncertainty over whether or not she actually _liked_ it, however, because the careful rhythm he’d settled into while he gave her time to adjust felt good. She just wasn’t sure _how_ good until his fingers twisted inside of her and stroked against something that made pinpricks of sensation dance over every inch of her skin. Almost like getting heatstroke. Her breathing hitched sharply as her nails dug into his shoulders, needing something to hold onto so she didn’t shake apart at the seams. It was a completely different kind of pleasure than she was used to, something that she’d never be able to describe no matter how articulate she had always been. She could feel her lips moving, but had no idea what was actually coming out of her mouth beyond the fact that it was apparently funny, Paul’s husky laughter rumbling in her ear where his lips pressed against the curve of her neck with a delicate graze of those sharp canines.

She wasn’t sure why the idea of him sinking those teeth into her skin didn’t bother her in the slightest. Why, if she were going to be completely honest about it, she actually _wanted_ him to do it. Why just the _idea_ of it had her squirming against him with something close to anticipation as she unconsciously squeezed down against the slow thrust of his fingers. Because she just knew that he’d actually _do_ _it_ if she only asked it of him. It was that whole possessiveness thing again. Because she wanted to irrefutably belong to him in some way, wanted something that _said_ she belonged to him and nothing could ever change it. She may have foolishly wanted to always live in Edward’s shadow, content to be that near him and basking in his radiance. But she wanted to _own_ Paul and be owned by him in return and she didn’t give a crap if that made her bizarre or less of a feminist.

Stranger still, the peculiar and almost nebulous urge she had to bite _him_. And the frustration that followed along behind that thought with the knowledge that even if she followed through with it, the imprint of her teeth on his skin would melt away as quickly as she left it. She couldn’t mark him, couldn’t leave proof of her presence in his life…maybe she was a little more affected by the lack of an Imprint than she’d realized. It wasn’t that she thought he would choose to back away and leave her behind, because he was loyal like an animal was…steadfast until his loyalty was broken by another. But for some outside influence that he could not simply ignore to try to pull him away from her made that insecure little piece of her curl into a fragile ball and scream denials. She’d heard about what happened when Sam had tried to ignore his own Imprint and how incredibly painful it had been. She didn’t want that for Paul no matter that she suspected that even were _she_ not in the picture, he wouldn’t go along with something like that and would fight it until the bitter end.

Maybe he had somehow sensed her train of thought, or maybe he just didn’t like the way she suddenly came across as hesitant and just a bit sad. All Bella knew was that one second she was brooding about things that she’d never considered before for obvious reasons-bite-scarring a partner to show devotion to them wasn’t exactly a mainstream thing after all-the next she was breaking apart and scrambling to hold on to him when it felt like he was slipping away from her. He shifted her over to balance her with a thigh that she couldn’t help squeezing her own around, shivering when his voice dropped into a croon that just _did_ things to her that she’d never be able to explain. It was almost insidiously sweet and coaxing and worked on that tiny voice of insecurity, sweeping it aside under a tide of desire to have him in every way she could get him.

She was ready to protest when Paul’s hands slid away from her, didn’t want to give up the way they felt on her. But it died when they finally dropped down and she heard the muffled click of his belt buckle. Felt the graze of his knuckles along her skin as he worked buttons through holes. He paused for a moment after he’d reached the last one, bent to brush his lips along hers with all the teasing slowness of his fingers against her labia. It was a brief, scarcely-there kind of touch that had her tightening her grip on him, something he encouraged by pressing that hard-muscled thigh right where she needed it as he finally caught one of her hands and tugged it downward; a gesture that was equal parts invitation and demand as his own hand tightened around hers in a slow stroke down the length of him, pulling a grating sound from deep in the Were’s throat.

She _liked_ that growl…animalistic and so heatedly expressive that it was just pure instinct to give him what he wanted, wrapping both hands around him. She also liked the shudder that rolled through him, every muscle tightening against her in reaction to the twisting, sliding rhythm she adapted from the thrust of his hips.

But it was the tone of his voice as it shifted back into that luring, devilish croon that she loved. Because it didn’t matter how far gone she was, just that could _still_ make her blush so ridiculously hard. The things he offered to let her do to him. The things he threatened to do to her in return if she did. The things he suggested she _could_ do with him...

And the bone-melting lushness of it when it dropped into a pleased groan when she took him up on one of them. The wicked curve of his lips with just the hint of dimple and glint of fang and the way he watched her with flashing eyes from under the sweep of those absurdly long lashes. He _always_ seemed to be watching her when they were together like this, and a tiny part of her wondered if it was because it might be one of Paul’s ‘buttons’. His hands tightened against her ass when she braced her feet against the wall and rolled her hips forward, hissing through her teeth in surprise at the feel him brushing against her. It felt worlds different than the touch of her own fingers or even his.

_This_ was velvet over steel and heat where it pressed against her clit in passing. And _holy fuck_ why hadn’t she ever considered doing this?! Never even imagined it, like it was simply a thing that she had mentally bypassed in her thoughts of how this would go. The bare and _sooo_ much better version of what he’d persuaded her into just after New Year’s Day. He was hard under the deceptive softness of his skin and slick from her own arousal when he twisted his hips into a slow, heavy thrust against her. She couldn’t even freaking _babble_ that time because words just wouldn’t form. And she couldn’t understand why she was so damned _sensitive_ all of the sudden and she couldn’t seem to stop gasping when she wasn’t moaning. She could barely manage to articulate anything other than vaguely pleading sounds for _moremoremore_ but that didn’t seem to matter. He just _knew_ and then he was rotating her hips in his hands and giving her what she wanted.

But what finally sent her over was the sudden blunt presence of him up against her entrance. _Clearly_ it not an accident given the hungry look on his face. He wasn’t doing anything more than that, not actually trying to gain any depth, but it was _just_ enough to trick her senses and give her something to bear down against. It didn’t hurt yet, because it was just pressure. Enough to spread her open against the broad glans and give just a taste of how this was going to feel.

Bella had this sudden sense that _this right here…this_ point in time was going to be a turning point in her life. That she was standing at the top of a cliff so high she couldn’t see the bottom and trusting him to catch her. And it wasn’t just the fact that she was about to love her virginity, it was the fact that it was him that she had chosen to share this with and that he had chosen her as well. This meant something beyond just simple sex, beyond the silly and almost cringe-worthy term of making love even though it did apply. She was about to commit to something or maybe even _begin_ something that she didn’t _truly_ understand.

_But she wanted it._

Whatever it was. Whatever this meant. Whatever happened because of this.

So when Paul bent and that decadent purr offered up _more_ , the subtly darker shade of his voice sending interesting thrills through her (something she was seriously going to have to sit down and hash out later when she could think straight), she didn’t waste time with words. Didn’t think about logical things like pacing herself or having a discussion about where reasonable limits should lie because he was going to hit them and the last rational bit of her knew without a doubt that he was going to _push_ them.

Bella pushed _first_.

Somewhere between one breath and the next, pressure became stretching when she curled her legs across his back and pulled him in. It pinched a bit, though it wasn’t unbearable because of the slow, gentle strokes of his thumb across her clit were distracting her from the discomfort. Not guesswork on his part because he had sussed out exactly how she liked to be touched, how rough, how fast, and which side was more sensitive. And he used that knowledge to good advantage to keep her focused on more than the brief flickers of pain beginning to creep along her nerve endings. But she was also distantly wondering if this wasn’t a ‘Band-Aid theory’ situation…just pull the stupid thing off because it would hurt less.

Later, she might look back and roll her eyes at her own lack of self-preservation. Later, she would probably even decide that the ‘Band-Aid theory’ was an _idiotic_ theory.

Because that first upward thrust was a little more intense than she was expecting. The sudden stretch around him stung and she gritted her teeth to keep from yelping as he finally sank into her. It wasn’t deep…just a couple of inches. But it was enough to make her gasp in surprise, her muscles instinctively clenching down against the invasion. He jerked inside her with a hoarse groan in response, upper lip curled almost into a snarl as he pressed his forehead against the wall with a muffled thump. “How the fuck are you this _tight_?” he murmured, voice thick and strained and utterly wrecked.

She’d never thought that a guy saying that to her would actually be a little bit of a turn on, but it was and her body rippled around him in a welcoming invitation that he took. He shifted, his stance widening, then slowly bore upwards. It _still_ hurt. More now that he was pushing deeper. But there was a sense of satisfaction to be had in knowing her body could take him in like this. A strange burning pleasure to be found in the way he was working her open with his own body. Those ridges she had discovered in his penis were dragging across the slickness inside of her, causing an absolutely phenomenal friction that had her toes curling in moments.

Her mind was struggling to catalogue every new sensation, because there was so many and she didn’t want to forget anything. Not the way he felt surrounding her. The way his hands held her so steady despite the writhing of her body. The sound of his voice in her ear as he told her _all_ about the way she felt wrapped around him. The growling undertone when she unconsciously squeezed him, because apparently that was just about the most perfect thing she could have done to him right then. And the way it felt like he was beginning to take up more room inside of her than _she_ did.

When he finally came to a stop, she gave an experimental curl of her hips and was a little disheartened to find that he wasn’t _quite_ fully inside of her. She’d managed to take more seemed possible given her small stature. Didn’t mean she wasn’t disappointed. She could feel him watching her again and tilted her head back to catch his gaze. Something so much more intense and intimate with him so deep inside of her. “Okay?”

It took her a second to process that he was asking her a question that needed an actual answer. “Yeah…it’s-” But she couldn’t find words to describe it.

“Mmhmm…” His voice rumbled into a purring sound that sent wicked heat flaring through her. The snarl had melted away into a dreamy, though still faintly predatory smile as he rolled his hips in a slow thrust that managed to seat him just a tiny bit deeper. Almost as if he were somehow looking for more room inside of her.

And he found it.

Her body gave up whatever lingering attempt to keep him out and he hit the end of her with a strangely gentle nudge. Something that, had it been any harder, she might very well have cringed away from. She knew that a lot of women did not like to have their cervix bumped during sex because they found it to be extraordinarily painful. She wasn’t sure over her own take on it just yet…because she also knew that some just didn’t enjoy it until they reached a certain point.

But Paul was always so damned good at reading her, because the next thrust wasn’t _quite_ so deep. But it served to demonstrate to Bella another thing she hadn’t quite accounted for: the fact that he was actually sizable enough to hit _every single one_ of her pleasure points without effort. It also served to do the one thing that he was _profoundly_ gifted at when her brain finally just said “fuck you, I’m done,” and shut off.

She wasn’t too clear on details after that. She was vaguely aware that any discomfort she might’ve been feeling died somewhere under the surfeit of pleasure that he was so adept at giving. She was aware enough to realize that he was once more chaining her orgasms together until they ran one after the other, sometimes leading so quickly into the next that she lost track of where one left off and another began. She felt crazily sensitive where his body stretched hers, both inside and out. She also suspected that she was babbling ridiculous things, though he didn’t seem to be in the headspace to care just how nonsensical they likely were.

She also realized that at some point, she had begun egging him on. Fair trade because that voice luring her toward her proverbial doom promised things that ‘good girls’ probably shouldn’t want. Because getting pinned under him while he fucked her hard enough to make her scream was beginning to appeal in a way that she’d never considered. She’d always thought ‘doggy style’ to be kind of… _slutty_. But he made it sound so tempting that she almost wanted him to do it right then…

Then the thought was gone.

She gasped in surprise are she felt him suddenly swell inside of her. One last rasp of that callused thumb across her clit and she was flying right over the edge with a breathless moan, nails unconsciously scraping against the smooth skin of his back. She listened to the low, throaty moan that echoed her own as her heartbeat slammed in her ears and her body came apart at the seams.

She wasn’t sure how long she drifted after that, how long she floated on her little cloud of satiety. But she knew it was a little while before she’d managed to pull her thought processes back into a linear working order. Her heart wasn’t _quite_ thundering at that point, more like a slow canter as opposed to a full-bore gallop. Her whole body felt boneless and flushed with pleasure, a little overheated but not enough for her to care too much about it. Her thighs ached just a bit, but again that fell under the category of ‘do not give a crap’. She almost huffed a quiet laugh at that, because ignoring things and not overthinking them had never really been one of her better abilities. Though if this was what it took for her to learn how to let shit go, she had to say that there were far worse ways to do so.

Rolling her head back against the wall, Bella’s mouth curved into a languid smile when she felt the gentle press of Paul’s lips against her forehead. It was another one of those quick and subtly affectionate gestures that meant far more to her than some great grand gesture ever could because it was freely and genuinely given.

She managed to convince her eyelids to obey her and opened her eyes, happy to see that he looked a little more like himself. His eyes were still bright and strange, but his own smile was far closer to lazy satisfaction than the frightening sexual aggression that had been riding him before. And she loved that look on him, especially loved the fact that she had helped put that look on his face. Maybe it was a little strange of her to be proud of something like that, but that didn’t change the fact that she just _was_.

The muscle running up her left thigh suddenly gave a dull twinge of discomfort, and she reluctantly uncurled it from where it sat against his hip. And Bella suddenly found herself making a few discoveries.

The first thing she noticed was that her legs were more than a little stiff, muscles pulling from the backs of her thighs up into her butt. Something he seemed to pick up on right quick because those big, warm hands gently dug into the tight muscles and began skillfully massaging the kinks out of them, pulling a relieved sigh from her as he did so.

There was also her faintly abraded but still so weirdly hypersensitive vagina. She knew, intellectually, that it was really only the first third of the vaginal canal that was truly all that sensitive. But _knowing_ that didn’t change the fact that she was felt she might be abnormal because she was _crazily sensitive_ all the way up to where she was also apparently deeper than most. _Thank God…_ because she hadn’t even considered the possibility that he might actually be _too_ big into the situation when she was planning things. She didn’t really understand why the slight soreness, along with the stretched-and-not- _quite-_ bruised-but-in-that-general-neighborhood tenderness, combined with the sensitivity just felt… _good._ Not the kind of good that made her worry about her possible descent into masochism or anything ridiculous like that, but more the kind of good that she’d ‘wear’ with pride because of what it represented to her.

A sensitivity that said she wasn’t strictly opposed to another round when he felt up to it. But that was the third point, however, because it was also that sensitivity that brought her attention to the fact that Paul wasn’t _going soft._

Like… _at all_.

Guys just didn’t _do_ that! They had sex and then they got soft for a while because that was how male anatomy worked. The refractory period, she thought it was called. But the thing they didn’t do was stay hard as if they hadn’t even–

Bella hesitated.

Because what if he hadn’t?

It was that stupid insecurity all over again, doing its best to convince her that she was pathetic. And it wasn’t true. Paul wasn’t going to fake an orgasm, or even that look of satiation. There would be no reason for it, because she was absolutely game for whatever he might need. And he _knew_ that…he _had_ to.

There was a gentle nudge of his chin against her temple to catch her attention. “What are you thinking about?”

_Dammit Bella…way to ruin the mood._

She _really_ didn’t want to go into it, because she felt stupid for even thinking it. But telling him ‘nothing’ would be a lie. And she didn’t want to ever lie to him even if, for some unfathomable reason, she could get away with it. It just didn’t feel right and in fact made her uncomfortable to think about. So she pulled up her big girl panties and displayed a weakness that she hated having to own up to. She knew it was trite and so stereotypically ‘newly deflowered virgin’ that just saying it made her feel even more ridiculous. Fuck, everyone knew what happened when Buffy had said something similar to Angelus. This was just _begging_ for trouble, but…ugh. “Did you…was it…”

“Did I…?” he prodded, and she was almost absurdly grateful that there was humor in his voice without a trace of exasperation. Patient with her annoying little foibles.

“You’re…still hard,” she managed to spit out, finally looking up at him. “Did you not…?”

That humor bloomed into quiet laughter and she honestly wanted to face-palm at herself. “You’re asking me if I orgasmed and ejaculated?”

How the actual hell did he straight-face while saying those words? Yeah they were the correct terms for the question she was trying to articulate; she could even appreciate the way he used them so matter-of-factly. It was just the way that he did so to tease her that made her narrow her eyes in frustration…and relief. Because he wasn’t upset with her. He’d actually found something amusing about the whole situation instead of rolling his eyes at her insecurities. And those eyes remained on hers as he reached under her thigh and skimmed his fingers along the sensitive skin, a shiver of pleasure drifting in their wake before he lifted them up between them. His lips quirked with mischief when he saw that she noticed the faint smear of semen across his fingertips. “That’s _really_ not a problem.” he rumbled.

_Seriously…?_ Utterly shameless.

But that still didn’t change the fact that Paul’s body apparently refused to conform to proper male physiology. It also didn’t change the fact that Bella was ridiculously curious by nature. Or that he’d never once refused to answer any question she’d ever asked him, once she knew the correct question to ask. And she didn’t know why _that_ particular thought pinged something in her far-distant memory, but for the moment, she put it aside. “How…does that work exactly? I mean, biologically guys are supposed to orgasm, ejaculate, and then require recovery time before they ‘reload’. Are you just…holding onto it somehow?”

Paul cocked his head to the side, his lips still twisted with amusement though he answered readily enough. “Biologically, I _do_ heal faster than most. Cuts my refractory period to nothing.”

Huh. That actually made sense. It was also kinda interesting on other levels because that meant the only recovery time ever needed would be on her end. Unless he was sexually a one-and-done-for-the-night type. But she immediately threw that idea out the window because the second she uncurled her other leg from around his waist in an attempt to stretch, the slight movement shifted his position inside of her just enough to have his eyes quickly blowing wide once more. It was something that probably should’ve hurt given how careful they had really _not_ been before. He hadn’t been violent with her by any means, but neither one of them had been paying much attention to reasonable things like the fact that Bella was going to have to be able to walk the next day. She wasn’t really sure how to measure such things, but surely she shouldn’t be three seconds from seriously attempting to convince him to bend her over his desk? Because he’d do it just as fast as she could get the words out of her mouth. “How many times can you…?”

He chuffed a short laugh even as he shrugged carelessly. “No idea. Tried once to find my limit…hit lucky thirteen…then got bored.”

Bella blinked, attempting to process that even as he tipped her head back once more and shifted her upwards just enough to give him access to her neck. Because really, how was she expected to think when he did that?! The gentle pull of him inside of her, the slow, shallow thrusts that he could manage in that position made her head spin for a second. But thinking…that was honestly short of impossible, because her skin was actually _tingling_ under his lips. She was aware enough to know that it would leave marks, but she _liked_ that thought. It was the knowledge that they wouldn’t be permanent that finally bugged her enough to pull her head back on mostly straight. Because he was being _so_ careful _not_ to bite her with those sharp teeth. And she wanted him to. Enough that she finally couldn’t manage to keep the words behind her teeth. “Paul…?”

“Hmmm?” His voice had this beautifully contented rumble to it. That well-satiated animal tone that had just about made her silly that first day she had met him…threatening to do it again if she weren’t careful to keep her head.

“Would you…if I asked you to, I mean…would you bite me?” It sounded a little more hesitant than she would have liked. She didn't want to sound like she wasn’t sure about what she wanted. She was positive and certain and completely adamant that she _was_. His voice And maybe with time, she might grow a little more sure of herself in sexual situations… _hopefully…_ but right now she was just happy that she’d managed to broach the topic at all.

She felt more than heard the low thrum of his laughter when he answered her. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gotten a bite of you. Anywhere new that you’d like?”

So utterly willing to give her what she wanted. And normally Bella would have managed to give him enough information that he could extrapolate her meaning. But not even Paul was psychic. “No, I mean…I _don’t_ mean just bite…I mean…”

How did he always leave her tongue-tied? Old-her would have been absolutely appalled. Both for her lack of communication skills on a topic that was pretty damned important, and for her desire to get bitten in the first place. Old-Bella would have panicked over the supposed imperfection, terrified of even the tiniest blemish that would mark her as even _less_ perfect than she had been to begin with. But to Current-Bella…that kind of scar wasn’t a blemish. It was more like art. Unique to her and all the more perfect in her eyes.

But apparently she’d given him just enough information that time to have him go still in surprise. She wanted to look downward and not meet his gaze, because looking him in the face after asking him that was one of the hardest things she’d had to do…she’d never been good at asking for the things that meant the most to her. Almost like the more important the desire, the more it was likely to poof away into the air if she asked for it. Not a logical thought, she knew that. But it was still a long-held fear of hers.

This, however? This was something that she made herself hold his eyes for. Made herself keep it together because wavering would make it look like she wasn’t convinced _herself_ of what she wanted. And it was so hard, because while he wasn’t judging her, he was very clearly _weighing_ her words. What they meant and what she wanted from him. Conflicted in some way that she didn’t understand, because while he hadn’t outright rejected her request, she wasn’t sure that an agreement was forthcoming.

“Tell me why you want it?”

Paul’s tone was quiet and carefully neutral and _oh_ _fuck_ , it felt like her stomach was going to turn over and climb right up her throat as her gaze instinctively dropped. Her throat suddenly felt tight and dry as if it had been stuffed with cotton. Because she wasn’t used to hanging herself so far out on the ledge with no metaphorical rope with which to save herself. She’d always been the careful type, cautious. She didn’t know if she could handle it if she had just made a mistake in asking for-

She felt him hook a finger under her chin and tilt her head back in an attempt to get her to look at him. “Hey…could you look at me? I’m not saying no. But I need to know your reasons for asking me to do this. I know what it means to _me_ , but I don’t want my meaning to color _your_ reason for it.”

Ugh…it was amazing when a guy who was well-known for being barely monosyllabic _at_ _best_ was communicating better than _she_ was. And it was an utterly reasonable request despite the fact that she had always been crap at explaining why she needed things, especially with those things that weren’t in the norm for anyone else. It was a huge part of why it hadn’t even occurred to her to ask Sam before she had left for Jacksonville if she could borrow any of the Wolves. Why she hadn’t explained to Charlie just how _much_ help she had needed to fill the hole gouged out of her by her stupid ex. She’d gotten better about it, but there was still room for improvement.

And now, here was Paul… _asking_ her what she needed. Asking her to explain her reasoning, because he needed to know _why_. So she looked at him, trying not to huddle in on herself. Because Bella had never been a coward and she couldn’t afford to be one now. Because she was listening. He hadn’t said no. He said he needed to know her reason because he might have reasons of his own for wanting it.

_And that he might even want it more than her…_

“I was thinking about choice,” she began quietly. “I…back when I was with…Edward. I remember thinking that all of his talk about destiny in general, and destined mates in particular, was so romantic. But when he left, I realized that that way of thinking took away something vital in my life. Free will. Choice. And you _are_ my choice. I know that I’m-well, _both_ of us-are really young. But…I can’t see anyone else when I’m with you. It’s not obsession. I _do_ know the difference,” she mumbled with a rueful, self-deprecating humor. “But this feels like…it’s permanent. I know we only jumped into this not all that long ago. But it doesn’t matter.”

“And when you asked me to bite you...?” he prompted.

“It’s…I know that you didn’t Imprint on me. And that’s okay,” she hurried to say. “I wouldn’t have been happy if you had, because I want you to _choose_ me, not have your biology attempt to force you to accept me. And I understand that you might not _ever_ Imprint…”

“Don’t think that I _can_ , to be honest.”

She smiled a little, because she’d pretty much guessed he would say that. “But biting…it’s kind of like…It’s something that says I _belong_ to someone. I _chose_ you and I want everyone who sees the mark to _know_ that. That I love you, and not just in a temporary or simple way. Because I’m absolutely _sure_ that this is not something that could ever change for me. I don’t _want_ it to. And while I don’t ever want to hurt you, if I could actually mark you, too, then…”

“You know I’d let you,” he murmured, a warmth in his voice that made her heart feel like it was swelling in her chest and her throat ached just a bit.

She reached up and pressed her hand against his cheek, watching as his lashes swept down against the high slope of his cheekbones as he nuzzled into her palm. “For me, this isn’t a ‘ _letting’_ thing. I _want_ this.”

When his gaze met hers again, his eyes were once more flashing brightly. “Just to get things straight...there is no part of me that wants to hurt you.”

And just like that, Bella felt her heart drop. She opened her mouth, either in protest or to beg him to reconsider after she got her thoughts more organized to give him a good argument, but his thumb pressed against her lips to silence her.

“Always jumping to conclusions,” he chided gently. “What I meant was that I don’t want to hurt you. But biting you? That’s something I want. And yeah, I’m a possessive bastard. That’s definitely part of this. But there are a few things I need you to understand here.”

Bella blinked, doing her best to listen to what he was saying while trying to ignore the way him resettling his weight from one foot to the other had him shifting inside of her. It was a little distracting, sue her. She was doing her best to keep up, though, because _this_ was not something she wanted to lose track of. This was far too important to her to let herself get lost.

“If I bite you the way you’re asking me to…that’s not something that you can take off if, in a few weeks or months, you decide you made a mistake or just change your mind. Fuck, even wedding rings are less permanent then what you want from me because those one can just pull off and forget it when the mood strikes them. No matter what anyone says, there is no metal pure enough to guarantee or solidify any vow of fidelity or devotion. But for all of that, I’d still give you one if you ever wanted it.”

That alone made her heart begin to thump in her chest in a wild sort of anticipation, because while it was not a thing she could see herself wanting for some time to come-Edward’s whining manipulation of her into agreeing to it for the sake of deepening her relationship with him

aside-that Paul would do it because she might one day want it said a lot. Especially given his generally low opinion of marriage in the first place…for reasons. Reasons that took the shape of his mother, for instance. But the fact that he took her request even more seriously than he would take wedding vows was telling. “I understand the permanence of it,” she returned, voice solemn. “It’s the main reason I want it. It’s not about the pain of it…I know it will hurt. I kinda don’t give a fuck,” she said, heartened by his snort of amusement. “But I also want something that says ‘Paul was here’, because no one else is going to be.”

His head canted, even as something that looked a bit like greed flashed in the flickering chill of his eyes.

And she understood _that_ completely, because she was _absolutely_ as greedy when it came to the Were.

“Then there’s one last thing I need to explain,” he finally continued, “before we do this.”

_What else could there be…?_

“Something…has been happening every time you and I get into shit. It’s the power that nearly knocked me on my ass last night. Like I said, doesn’t hurt. But best I can tell? It wants _you_. Feels like it’s trying to climb out of my skin to get to you. And if we _do_ this and I bite you…then I suspect it’s gonna get free. And if it does? I don’t think I’ll be able to take it back afterword. Ever. And I have no idea what it would do to you.”

He didn’t look all that thrilled about saying it. But it made her love him even more because no matter what he wanted, it was now pretty clear he was going to be straight up about things. It would have been all too easy to just go through with it and not tell her _shit_ …just say ‘oops’ afterword when she suddenly glowed in the dark like a freaking Litebright or got x-ray vision. Course, being able to see Paul naked _any_ time she wanted wasn’t exactly a hardship, but still. She loved the fact that he wasn’t going to put his wants over her own. No matter _how_ much he did want it…and it was damned clear that he did. She lifted a brow and smiled sheepishly. “My sense of self-preservation has always been kinda shitty, anyway.”

He growled. “Yeah…I _did_ notice that.”

But he wasn’t angry…at least, she assumed that to be the case because the upward roll of his body into hers said ‘fuck _yes’_ and not ‘what the fuck?’. Then he was shifting. Pinning her to the wall to free first one hand, then the other as he pulled off his boots before letting his pants slide down from where they had caught against his thighs to pool on the floor…then stepping out of them. And holy shit did _that_ do all kinds of interesting things with the way it moved him inside of her. Something he was clearly aware of given the sly smile that slowly curled his lips.

Then he was stepping across the room towards his desk. “Um…I can probably walk,” she offered.

“Probably so,” he agreed with a small shrug. “However…if you want to do this, I’m not about to bite you cold. That would just be cruel. And since I can’t imagine you’re not a bit sore right now, making you have to take me in all over again wouldn’t be kind either.”

She lifted a brow, then hissed through her teeth as he carefully settled into the heavy chair at his desk. Because he wasn’t wrong. She hadn’t really considered what it would feel like to have him pull out completely and _then_ push his way back in. It would hurt enough to have him actually sink teeth into her skin hard enough to break it. Adding more pain would just be a level of stupid she didn’t need to go into. Because it still felt good to have him there…the minute shifting of his hips and the way his now freed hands stroked over her skin kept her at a level of arousal that would have been tested by having to start over again. And listening to the low groan that escaped him when she carefully settled into his lap, the look on his face when she clenched around him while sliding down had him dropping his head back against the chair. The careful strength of his hands riding her hips as she rolled forward in a tentative, exploratory stroke. “ _Fuck…”_ he bit out harshly, his body arching up under her in a slow, beautiful play of shadows over golden skin before he managed to catch her gaze again.

Yeah…she _definitely_ liked it when he got ‘chatty’. That word in _that_ particular tone made her insides melt and she’d dare _anyone_ attracted to the male species to say differently. Especially since she could practically sense all the blush-inducing naughtiness that could come spilling out any moment because apparently sometimes Paul was a talker.

“Explain cold biting?” She kind of wanted to get it out of him while she could think coherently. It was a slightly odd turn of phrase and one she had never heard before.

“Cold biting. It’s not really a thing...more like a concept. It’s going to hurt. Have no doubts about it. Just how _much_ it will… _harder, c’mon like this…,”_ he growled as he pulled her down and twisted her hips in his hands, his voice dropping back into that coaxing tone that made heat lick up her spine and bloom in her cheeks. Her hands found purchase against the heavily muscled plating of his abs, balancing herself as she let her hips follow his urging. His body was too broad to allow more than her toes to reach the ground, but that didn’t matter because being astride him like that gave her an odd sense of power.

“How much it will…?” she prompted.

“ _Hurt_ ,” he purred in a drawn-out tone that somehow made the word sound… _tempting_. Bella sharply bit the inside of her cheek to get her head to clear a bit because if he was already affecting her _that_ much, then she didn’t have a lot of time before she lost it completely. “If I make you feel good before… _soooo good…_ squeeze _...?”_ And she did, because how does she _not_ do what he asks when his voice does things like _that_?

“Before-hand,” he finally said. “Enough that when I get my teeth on you, it might not be as painful as doing it cold.”

That was all she needed to know. Her question now answered, Bella waved goodbye to linear thinking and rolled her hips into a slow circle that he _definitely_ approved of given the way he abruptly pulled his hands away from her skin and fisted them atop the arms of the chair, knuckles whitening under the tightness. Like he didn’t trust himself with her more fragile body just then. She would probably have found it flattering if she’d been able to think clearly, but all she could do was keep rocking at a pace that ground all of those amazing ridges along the length of him up inside of her. Because really, who needed thinking when there was Paul…naked…on his back…saying things to urge her on that made her blush even harder right before she started to come apart so hard that her thighs started trembling again. Then his hands come back, moving with unhurried slowness across her skin from her thighs and then upwards. They paused at her hips for a moment or two to pull her down tighter and she an almost stunning moment of _ohfuckohfucktoodeep!_ before they drifted up to her breasts where he palmed them. Touched them with that nearly reverent fascination that he always had when given access to her.

And it’s all of that combined that sets her reeling, toes curling tight as her body rode a rolling wave of pleasure that sent sparks all the way to her fingertips where they kneaded against his skin, his own carefully rocking her hips against his as she floats along. It’s easy and peaceful for a few moments, until she crests and he’s hitting that place deep inside of her that just about takes her breath away with the intensity of it. But like a wave, there’s never just one and she’s climbing the next one before she can even hit bottom. Only instead of getting progressively less intense, they only seem to be building higher. Sharper. His occasionally heavier thrusts that would have caused pain before now becoming something that she wanted. And she paid him for every one of them with the way her nails unconsciously dug in, occasionally drawing responses out of him that seemed caught somewhere between growl and moan. They cut right through his voice while he tells her how perfect she feels, how much he’s always wanted her…and how much he loves her.

Those words that meant so much more to her than being called beautiful or sexy, because being loved by him made her feel that way.

Bella was reaching out even before she realized it, her hands demanding against his shoulders as she tried to pull him upwards. She knew it only worked because he allowed it but it doesn’t matter because she can finally _reach_ him. Or he could reach her. One way or another, his hand was sliding up her back, curling around the nape of her neck while his lips went marauding against hers. And it was _that_ that brought home just how tightly he’d leashed himself once again. His kisses were always so much rougher while he was wrangling himself back under control. Like it was the only thing that he just couldn’t quite get locked down.

Only she liked them rough. She liked _him_ a little rough.

It was likely playing with fire to try and peel that control away right then. And playing games with someone who might actually be geared to do more than just _like_ it that way was probably not the _safest_ thing in the world. She knew that. It still didn’t stop her from pulling his lower lip between her teeth, digging her nails sharply into his shoulders and _purposefully_ clenching down around him… _hard_.

His body jerked against her in surprise, a low growl of warning spilling up his throat as he shifted restlessly. “ _Be sure…_ ” he told her, voice muffled against her lips.

He’d warned her. Been very clear about what she was in for if she did that to him. But while her sense of self-preservation might be shit, he’d never done anything to break her trust in him. When he had said that there was no part of him that wanted to hurt her, she believed him. And other than the request she’d made of him to leave his mark on her, she didn’t think for a second that he was going to start now. “I’m sure,” she returned, her voice quiet but steady.

The hand on the back of her neck shifted, testing her as it slid up and fisted into her wild hair tight enough to pull her spine taut. The sound that came out of him wasn’t quite a laugh. It was too dark for that. And it made her shiver with a strange mix of anticipation and an instinctive fight-or-flight response. Heightened awareness skittered through her senses that _something_ had once more gotten loose inside of Paul. Only he wasn’t fighting it back this time because she’d asked him for it. The rough, enticing croon slipped back into his voice as he moved, his other arm sliding down and banding across her hips to keep her where he wanted before he slowly spilled out of the chair and down onto floor.

It was like one second _she_ was in charge and drifting along at her own blissful pace. The next, he’d gotten the proverbial bit in his bared teeth and she was suddenly riding the rails between _Oh God so good_ and begging him to let her breathe because she couldn’t. It was that fine edge of too much that he had been flirting with after he’d settled them into the chair, only now he was pushing it every single time. She wasn’t even sure when she started spurring him on, unable to help the rake of her nails up his back in response when he hit full stride. All she knew was that her head was spinning and she was begging him again, somewhere between coherent and half-broken attempts at his name. She was dimly aware of the way his hands had tightened against her hips, likely to leave telltale bruises but she found herself relishing the idea of more marks on her skin that would say she was his. She was so close to the breaking point that she could _taste_ it, feeling her heart racing wildly in her chest as she reached for the orgasm just out of her reach and-

“Still want it…?” he purred.

She couldn’t make sense of the question, too far into left field for her to figure out what he meant by it. Too many things ‘it’ could have been, anyway. Anything from the climax hovering at her fingertips to the sudden wild pace he’d set. He’d never offered anything she _didn’t_ want, really. So she said yes. Gave assent. Or it might have been consent. Either so long as he didn’t stop, the words turning into a litany of desperate appeals.

She could feel his fingers burrowing back into her curls, pulling her neck taut in a way that she didn’t think to try and fight. Didn’t protest when he twisted her gently to the side…and didn’t even scream when Paul finally bent and sank his teeth into the curve where her neck sloped into her left shoulder. She was too busy coming apart. Exploding or maybe even imploding, clinging to him tightly as she writhed under his hold and relished in the greedy snarl in her ear as he swallowed against her skin. She suspected that it should have hurt a great deal more than she was registering, but he’d been right…with a good orgasm, the razor slice of his teeth through her skin somehow felt like completion.

But instead of it all ending there, he suddenly pulled away from where he had bitten her. She blinked in surprise when he abruptly bit through the smooth skin along the inside his own wrist and offered it to her. His eyes were intent as she glanced at him, blazing even brighter when she took up the invitation, wrapped her hands around his arm and sealed her lips against the rapidly healing wound. Funny for the girl who used to faint at the sight of blood, she didn’t even feel queasy as the taste of him hit her tongue. Thick and rich without the salty copper taste, she swallowed it down without a thought for the fact that it was Paul’s blood sliding down her throat. She was only dimly aware of the way he’d stiffened against her on that first pull, then he was swelling inside of her. She was only scarcely more prepared than she had been before for the way her body seemed to simply follow his lead and go careening over the edge after him.

Then she was burning and twisting and _flying_. Her skin felt too tight for an endless moment before it melted into tingles of pleasure and power. Another pull coupled with another surge of power that flickered through her almost pulse-like and flowed through her nervous system, pumping to the beat of her heart. Until suddenly a connection snapped into place with a part of her that not even her brothers had managed to touch. Because while they had connected to her soul, this one connected to _everything_ that made her who she was. The very depths of her being reached out…

_And found him there._

The one thing she had wanted since she met Paul…to be tied to him by choice in a way that couldn’t be broken.

And now she had it. Tied and bound and _his._

She felt him carefully remove his now fully healed arm from her numbed grip. Felt him tip her head back from where she had still been bent over and gently lick away the small trickle of his blood from the corner of her mouth to her chin. She realized that she should likely feel disgusted by the blood exchange, or even the fact that he hadn’t bothered to explain the reason he’d offered up his own blood. But she wasn’t. It felt natural, somehow. Not that it was going to become habit or anything, but for this point in time it had felt necessary. Vital in a way that she couldn’t explain. And because of it…?

Now she could _feel_ him. It was stronger than the occasional more intense emotions that she would get from the other Wolves, especially when they were in closer proximity. The full gamut of his emotions was now right there at her fingertips. The amusement at her startled joy. His own satisfaction in the face of their unexpected new connection. Lazy desire that was banked for now but could easily be fanned back into full blaze if she indicated she wanted it. Yeah…she was pretty sure that she wasn’t going to be good for anything other than sleeping for a long time to come, but the idea made a tiny shiver of desire dance down her spine regardless. Every muscle in her body felt loose and deliciously worked over especially her thighs that still burned a bit.

But it was the love that she _felt_ from him flowing across their bond that made her duck her chin once more and tuck her head under his. Not due to shyness but so overwhelmed that she didn’t quite know what to do with it. She loved him so very much, but knowing he felt the same was worlds different then just hoping for it. Hearing the words and taking it on faith that he did was not the same as feeling how he felt for her. It wasn’t a gentle trickle of emotion, but a full tide sweeping through her and leaving her a bit shaky.

She didn’t regret any of it for a second, but it was still something that she would have to get used to. Hopefully she would get a handle on it before she had to go back to school on Monday, because if not then she was going to be in trouble. She was already going to be in deep water with a number of people when they saw what she had done. But the bite on was her body, it was her choice, and she wouldn’t take it back for anything. It was hers and _he_ was hers. She didn’t know the actual mechanics behind had happened…and she wasn’t going to question it. Luck of the draw had never been hers in the past but it was _now_ for the most important hand of her life. And while she felt determination burning through her, she also felt his curiosity. His wonder over the entire thing. His own determination. And distantly, the fire of his fury burning in the background, a thrumming constant that she suspected would never truly die away.

And she was okay with that, because it was a part of him. As much a part of him as the watchful predator and the constant come-hither attraction. She’d accepted that a long time ago. It was just who he was. And who he was _loved_ her. The rest didn’t matter.

She wasn’t even sure when it happened, but eventually she felt him smoothing a hand down her back, a thumb brushing against her cheek bringing her attention to the fact that she apparently had tears tracking down her face. Stupid emotions. Stupid human girl who couldn’t handle it.

“Hey. Stop that.”

His voice was quiet and gentle, but it still managed to startle and confuse her. “Stop what?”

“You think I can’t _feel_ you getting down on yourself? This is a whole new bag of crazy to sort out. Don’t get me wrong,” he said when Bella started to protest. “I know you don’t regret this. Not worried about it. But you need to give yourself _time_ to adjust, not just a handful of minutes.”

Bella bit her lip, weighing his words. Because he was right. She needed _time._ And this was pretty much a ‘learn as you go’ situation. There was no handbook or instruction sheet included. And getting mad at herself for being overwhelmed by what was honestly a pretty overwhelming development would not help anything. Especially not her. If there was a crown for overthinking things, she would have won it years ago. Probably the year she’d turned eleven, to be honest. She’d gotten her period and immediately a whole wide world of worrying had opened up. That was the age that she’d realized _exactly_ how flakey her mom was.

Thank God for Phil because she would _never_ have felt comfortable leaving her mother to live a different life.

“Take the weekend before you start worrying,” he said. Reasonable…because he tended to be that way.

“Okay. That’s fair,” she conceded.

“Course it’s fair,” he retorted mildly. Then he lifted a brow with playful lechery. “’Sides…it means I get to keep you to myself for most of it.”

Bella snorted a quiet laugh. “You mean I get to keep _you_?”

He shrugged. “I’m always good with being kept by you.”

“You good with taking a nap with me as well?” She felt herself suddenly fighting back a yawn. “Because I think I might actually need one.”

Amusement filtered through. “That a question you have to ask?”

She lifted a shoulder in a shrug of her own. “Wasn’t sure if you had had time to eat or not,” she said as she shifted her legs in preparation to stand…and winced.

He pulled back to look at her, brows pulled low in question.

“Um…so my legs might be a little sore,” she prevaricated. And it was _true_! Just…not the only thing that waved the flag of discomfort.

“What do you need?”

“Maybe a hand getting up…?” she finally asked, awkwardness flickering through her.

He looked a bit wary, likely because he could feel that she hadn’t been completely straight forward in her response. But she hadn’t lied, either. Both of them hissed a bit when he finally lifted her up and back to her feet, though Bella suspected it was for far different reasons. An experimental squeeze against the overused feeling of her internal muscles said that, yup, that freaking _hurt_! Did she give a crap? No, not even a little one. But sex was off the table for the rest of the night if she were going by the ache in her… _personal_ _bits_.

That was right around the time that she felt a slow seep of fluids trailing down the inside of her thighs.

She didn’t know why it was embarrassing. It wasn’t like she had purposefully made a mess. And she might have pressed her thighs together to hide it, but for the flare of lust/want/satisfaction the sight of it seemed to trigger in her Were. The throaty growl as his eyes hooded and his lips curved hungrily made her swallow, eyes wide.

It wasn’t quite nervousness, though the thought that that might be a good response did actually occur to her. Mainly it was curiosity that had her going still, however. Because she had absolutely no idea why he would have reacted that way to what was to Bella just a sticky and faintly pinkish-red streaked mess. Honestly, if she had managed to _not_ bleed, she would have been far more surprised, and considering how good his sense of smell was, she knew he had to have picked it up the second it had happened. So what was the big deal? It was just semen… _his_ …smeared across her skin and sliding _out of her_ and…

_Oh_.

Bella blinked. Then flushed.

_Well_ , _then_ …

His sudden and unexpected reaction flowed into indulgent laughter as he bounced up off the floor, pulling her in and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Then he laced his fingers through hers and began towing her unhurriedly towards the bathroom. “Come on, baby. Let’s go clean you up before I decide I like it _too_ much.”

She couldn’t have done more even if she _wanted_ to, however. Her body sounded a resounding _eeeent_ , _but thank you for playing!_ at the very notion. Even though her eyes could only say _wow…_ But still! Didn’t matter _how_ phenomenal he looked strolling along just in front of her. _Naked_. Holy Hell…and _that_ was all hers?! Kind of mind-boggling. And tempting. _Very_ tempting to just ignore how sore she was and-

_No, Bella! Don’t break yourself on the first day!_

After he got her standing under the water, however, it didn’t take her long to melt into his hands as he picked up her loofah and slowly scrubbed her down. The scent of chamomile just barely teased her nose, something he must have picked up for her and now used to sooth away the ache in her legs and the faint tenderness of the handprints on her hips. She felt the question in his touch and along their bond as his fingers brushed carefully along the discolored skin…was she upset by them? Was she regretting pushing him like that? But she didn’t feel the least bit shameful over the satisfaction and the strangely fierce possessiveness she felt for them. And apparently content with her response, he nuzzled his cheek against her temple and lightly popped her on the butt before unhooking the showerhead and rinsing her off.

It was funny how they were communicating so easily through gestures and feelings passed between the two of them. Like some kind of secret language that only the two of them could speak. It soothed that part of her that had felt the tiniest bit of uncertainty over how much of a hold she might or might not have on him. Because instinct said that this wasn’t breakable…just as he had warned her. She also suspected their new, silent method of communication was going to drive Sam batshit because he _already_ took issue with Paul’s generally monosyllabic or even downright silent nature. He really wasn’t hard to read if you took the time to get to know him, but most just didn’t.

Their loss.

Her gain.

Oh _God_ her gain as she watched him run her loofah across his skin and the lather begin to slide downward as he cleaned up. The way it followed the dips and curves of muscle and the sleek planes of his body. He had every reason for the faint quirk of his lips as he caught her watching, though he didn’t do anything cruel like stroking his hands across all that glorious golden skin. Like anyone could turn away from that kind of show? Pfft. She’d dare anyone to try! If she was as pretty as him, she’d damn well flaunt it too!

“You think ever I’d say no?” Amusement flickered across as Paul glanced at her from under his lashes, a wicked come-hither glint in his eyes as his head tilted playfully.

Bella laughed. “I just don’t have any kind of self-control around you and even though my brain and hormones say ‘ _yes_ , _let’s_ _do_ _this!_ ’ I think the rest of me would stage a protest if I tried to do anything other than sleep here in the next few minutes,” she said with a hastily smothered yawn. “Even if _you_ are kinda stupid-pretty standing there like that.”

“ _Pretty?_ Should I be defending my masculinity, here?” But Bella could hear the latent humor in his voice so she wasn’t worried that she had misstepped.

“Like that was ever in doubt,” she said wryly. Because really, there was no part of her body that could _ever_ forget how male he was after what they had just done together. The way the phantom sensation of him inside of her felt branded against her nerve endings even now; something that she suspected wasn’t likely to go away anytime soon. But she would take that since she couldn’t take _him_. _At least for now…_

It wasn’t long after that that she fell into his bed. She was grateful that he had taken the time to towel dry her hair, because she suddenly found herself lacking the energy to do it on her own. The cool sheets were a tiny bit of a shock to her system, but one that didn’t last long in the face of a superheated Were bedmate. He’d decided to forgo lunch for the time being in favor of cuddling her to sleep, and she couldn’t find it in her to try and argue him out of it. She’d never really been able to figure out why she slept better with him than the others, even before their relationship had become so intimate. But she was grateful that he’d never minded, even in the beginning when he was just being the friend she hadn’t even known she’d needed. She didn’t care that he’d had ulterior motives, because he never pushed for what she didn’t want to give him.

It was that patience that had brought them to here, a place she’d never thought she would be.

“Paul?”

“Hmmm?”

“I love you.”

She felt him laugh, but it felt more like happiness than humor. And maybe he didn’t say anything. But then, he didn’t have to. Because she’d never _felt_ more loved.

>}:{<

Alice Cullen came back to herself with a gasp of horror.

Bella was gone.

She couldn’t _find_ her!

She closed her eyes and looked for the girl once more, searching wildly and with a growing sense of desperate dread for even a trace of the little human that she still loved so dearly.

She had disobeyed Edward many time in the past when it came to checking in on the girl. She had been hurt when Edward had returned and informed them that Bella didn’t ever want to see them again after Jasper’s slip up on her birthday more than a year ago. Her husband had never forgiven himself for it. Of course, Edward hadn’t helped there, either, because he’d done nothing but blame his brother since he had returned from Bella’s home. Told him that he’d known all along that they were monsters but there was no reason for Jasper to _prove_ that point to his beloved mate so succinctly.

Then he’d gone into mourning. Saying little beyond the expression of his pain at Bella’s loss and the sorrowful dirges coming from the keys of his piano. She could understand his misery-she had no idea what she’d ever do if Jasper left her or rejected her-but he hadn’t _fought_ for his mate. He’d said that she had been distancing herself from him- _all_ of them really, after he had informed her that they should no longer see each other romantically-those last couple of weeks before the family had been forced to relocate due to Bella’s choice. Emmett had insisted that his brother just needed to talk to his mate and convince her that she was making a mistake to shun them, but Edward had insisted that they heed her choice.

So they had left. Packed everything at speeds that were unusual even for Vampires and had moved from the small Washington town to Alaska where Edward had no memories of Bella to haunt him. No girls save the Denali sisters to avoid, and even then Irina had no interest in Edward because she was too busy hunting leads on her own missing mate Laurent. There had been a tension to the other female for nearly a year that led her to increasingly short tempered exchanges with everyone and a more savage mentality towards hunting. It was no longer just a means to an end but an exercise in sheer violence. She would fall into deep rages when a lead did not pan out. Jasper had begun gritting his teeth whenever she was near, her emotions setting off the darker inclinations of her mate and in turn making it hard for Edward to be around either of them for any period of time.

Eventually, it had become too much and they had moved from the U.S. to Germany for a while, then to Sweden where they were now.

And the whole time, Alice had done her best _not_ to think about Bella and the occasional glimpses she had of her since they had left her behind. The depression had been expected, because even though Edward had downplayed the addictive nature of Vampires, it was still a very real issue and Bella had cut herself off cold-turkey.

The Wolves of the Quileute tribe all Imprinting on her was something the Vampire would never had predicted, but even though Bella had shunned the Cullens, Alice was happy for her. There were so many times that Alice wished that she could _hear_ a person’s thoughts inside of her visions as well as see what they said and did, because she still missed that clumsy little human like crazy. Wished that she could know if Bella missed them even a fraction as much. She had been heartened when Bella had occasionally spoken favorably of her and her family. Even Jasper, strangely enough because he had been the one to upset the proverbial applecart. Bella, herself, had said that she couldn’t _imagine_ how impossible it would have been for him to control himself with the hungers of seven vampires eating at him all at once, let alone that she was the _Singer_ to one of them. It would have been completely unfair to ask such a thing.

Jasper had been heartened by the girl’s words even if he still felt that it was his fault that his brother no longer had a mate to call his own. He hoped that one day Alice would see Bella wishing for Edward’s return. And _if_ that day ever came to pass, he would be more than content to wish them well from afar. He had no desire to lose control in her presence ever again.

But it wasn’t until the… _creature…_ that the others called Paul had appeared in Bella’s life that Alice had done more than accidentally catch snippets of the girl’s life. Because Paul was something she couldn’t understand. Handsome-dear heaven he was almost blindingly beautiful-but she could only see him when caught in the reflection of a mirror or in passing by a window. He had the kind of looks to make anyone wish for just a glance from his direction. But when he was in the vision with Bella she quite literally could not _see_ him. She _knew_ he was there. Could see the space he took up and the way he interacted with his environment and the Wolves. But _he_ was not visible to the Vampire’s visions.

She knew that this ‘Paul’ being was not something to take lightly. Seeing the way others reacted to him gave Alice the idea that he was deeply dangerous when he chose to be. Not being able to consistently see him left her with gaps in her ability to properly evaluate him. Body language, facial expression, these were things that eluded her. And since he only appeared in relation to others and never on his own, she couldn’t get a read on anything motivating him, either. He felt like heat and hunger and… _magic_ if she were going to be fanciful. The unease even the Wolves showed in the face of Bella’s companion was deeply telling though, because according to Carlisle and the others, the Quileute Pack were even more dangerous this generation then they had been in the time of Ephraim Black. She’d seen the place Paul worked in, as well the fact that _every_ _single_ _one_ of the staff was supernatural in some way. She’d met true Weres before, which gave her a frame of reference for her visions. She could _see_ them in her visions because she had an understanding of them. But she could not see what she did not understand. The Quileute Wolves were no more than human-born Shapeshifters, and Alice had no problems ‘seeing’ humans. But some who worked in that club-like the one called Haven who came across as smoke and mirrors and the sense of great age-were almost as hard to see as Bella’s Paul. In fact, unless she managed to view something with a date upon it, she couldn’t even tell how linear her visions including the male were.

But for whatever else he was, he’d never hurt Bella. Not in any way, and _that_ was why she kept him a secret from Edward. She could see Bella’s growing love of the odd male and she didn’t want to see anything get in the way of it, even _if_ he wasn’t her adopted brother. Did it hurt that Bella had spurned her? Yes. But she was mature enough to know that Bella’s choices were her own to make. And Alice, as the girl’s friend no matter their estrangement, would do her best to protect her decisions despite the distance between them. So she just never thought of Bella while in Edward’s presence, both because of the stupid edict the male had insisted upon that forbade them all from contacting their missing human family member, and because for as much as his sulking was getting to her, she didn’t want to actually hurt him on purpose.

But now?!                           

She’d known that sex between Bella and Paul was inevitable. Even the tiny reflected flashes she’d had of the male showed her that he wanted her friend like no other. And Bella’s expressions and body language when he was near her spelled out everything.

Alice had been _happy_ for her! Really she was, even if it meant that she might _never_ come back to them because sex was one of those defining moments in a committed relationship. And her friend was _definitely_ in one.

And part of Alice had wondered if Edward had thought that Bella would always be there if he got his head out of his ass and would take him back with open arms no matter that he had said he would _never_ change his mind about their relationship. Alice could see that Bella did not mourn him as he might be mourning her, she had moved on to someone who seemed to love her in all the ways that her brother could not. Because Edward was stuck in his ways as all Vampires were and unable to see where he had wronged the girl that Alice was honestly beginning to suspect was _not_ truly his mate. Because how could he have _left_ her, even for her own good, if she was his mate?

Still, it didn’t matter, because Bella had become family to them even _if_ she had cut herself off from them.

And it was because of that that Alice had once more begun actively watching for Bella’s future, wanting to make certain it was a happy one. And it had been. A father who was the epitome of what a good father should be. Brothers who adored her to the ends of the earth. And a best friend who was rapidly becoming something even dearer to her than Bella wanted to admit to for the longest time.

But the moment that… _THING!..._ had bitten her friend in the midst of their intimacy, she had disappeared from Alice’s sight and was not to be found. She was just… _gone._

And Alice could only think of one reason for that. Paul would kill Bella. If she had felt even one second’s shame for viewing something so deeply personal to the other girl, even if it had only been snippets of it, well _that_ had vanished in the face of her sheer terror.

She couldn’t let it happen. She didn’t give a damn what Edward might say about interfering in his supposed mate’s life, she just couldn’t let Bella die for stubbornness!

She didn’t know how much time she had to derail the vision, but she knew that she couldn’t just leave out of the blue either. And she absolutely _had_ to calm down, because the more worked up she was, the harder it would be for her to keep things from Edward. She had to make plans to travel back to Forks, but she couldn’t use any of her credit cards to pay for the trip, because other than investments in promising stocks, her telepathic brother managed the family finances and she didn’t dare let him get involved with this. He would disrupt Bella’s life with his presence and then bail on her all over again. She hadn’t blamed Bella at all for not wanting to see them again after the way Edward had arbitrarily decided to end things with her, and she didn’t want the girl to have to deal with all of that again if she could help it. And there was always the possibility that just tracking down this creature and _convincing_ him not to bite her would save her. If that was the case, then Alice would know it immediately when her visions changed to reflect the decision.

Reaching for the safe beneath the rug at her desk, she pulled out enough cash for the task at hand then ran for the closest town with an airport. She was thankful while she made the trip that only Emmett and Rose were in the house and up to their usual rather loud antics and so didn’t question her departure. She knew that she would be looked at strangely for paying cash like she was about to do at the terminal, but it was the safest way to not be tracked. She already had a story percolating in her brain about a fashion show that she would suddenly just have to attend _._ In Australia. Spur of the moment and all and they would just have to forgive her even if she _had_ to leave during a scheduled family hunt.

Thank God there was one planned on Thursday, giving her enough time to get back to Forks next Friday night and hopefully deal with the issue over the weekend before things went wrong. And again, hopefully she would not have to let Bella know that she had interfered in her life, even if it was to save it. Even _if_ she had to do it by threatening her Paul. Because for as dangerous as he might possibly be, she was swift and deadly as well when her family was vulnerable.

And Bella, for all of her newfound toughness, was the most vulnerable of them all.

So Alice purchased her plane tickets. Returned to the family home. Packed a bag of possible necessities and hid it in the back of her closet. Planned. Carefully kept her mind blank around Edward. Promised her mate that all would be well. Made love to him with all the passion in her heart.

And began counting the days all the while praying to a God that had never listened to her in the past for the safety of one little human girl.

>}:{<


End file.
